Earth Kinda Sucks
by clairebear0216
Summary: Cory was a normal girl and then she got arrested. And then she got sent to Earth. Earth kinda sucks but she's a survivor. And she will do anything to see that her friends and family survive as well. She will push through everything and against all odds survive on Earth. ***Based mostly on the TV show, not the book. I changed some things so ignore some facts from the show.***
1. Introduction

Until the age of twelve, I was a normal girl on the Ark.

I had a mother and father who both loved me, Arielle and Peyton Walker. I had two close friends that I could completely, one hundred percent rely on, Nathan Miller and Tabitha Kenton. I even had a crush on a guy who might like me back, John Murphy.

Life was great.

At twelve years old, my father decided I was old enough to start showing an interest in some career. So he took me to his lab to find out if that's something I would like.

My father was an engineer on the Ark. He was the senior engineer for close to ten years. He was almost always the smartest person in the room.

Everyone will tell you it was Jake Griffin that found out the Ark was dying. That's a lie. It was my father and I. We were in the lab one night when I found a mistake in his equation. It had originally said we had a hundred more years of oxygen left. A hundred more years before we had to go to the ground. Now it said six.

 _"Dad?" I called, tilting my head to the side._

 _For a couple weeks now, I've been coming to my dad's lab and watching him. Tonight, I just sat at his desk, looking through some of his formulas._

 _And then I found an error._

 _"What's up precious?" he asked, walking over._

 _"I think there's a mistake," I said. "Right here."_

 _I pointed it out. He leaned over, grabbed a pencil, and looked it over. His eyebrows were furrowed as he worked through it. But in the end, his eyes widened and his jaw dropped a little._

 _"What's wrong?" I asked._

 _I quickly looked down at it. The title of the page was 'Life Support'. And at the bottom it said 103. But with the mistake fixed, it now said 6._

 _"Daddy," I said slowly. "What does that mean?"_

 _"We have six years until oxygen on the Ark runs out," he said plainly. That's what I liked about my dad. He was always straight with me._

 _"Six years?" I gasped. "That's now enough. Earth isn't gonna be survivable for another hundred years. We can't run out of air."_

 _"We'll figure this out," he said, putting his hand over mine. He looked down at me with that reassuring smile of his. "But I need you to promise me you won't tell anyone. It will cause chaos. Give me a year to see if I can fix it. Then we'll tell people."_

 _I nodded._

 _"I need you to promise me," he said. He was serious now._

 _"I promise," I said with a nod. I wouldn't tell anyone that we were going to die in six years, whether that happens in the sky or on Earth._

Six years until we completely run out of oxygen. Six years until we had to figure out another place to live. Six years until we die in space or on Earth.

My father and I swore to each other that we would keep it a secret. He would work out a solution and that would be it. No one would have to know and no one would have to freak out. He didn't want to start a riot. He only told one other person, his second in command at the time, Jake Griffin.

After this, life was still great.

I helped my father in the lab every single day. I chose engineering as my specialty even though I didn't actually have to choose for two or three more years.

My mother was a teacher on the Ark. She taught everyone about Earth. She knew everything about Earth. She taught me how to track, know what is poisonous, what parts of an animal is edible and what the rest of the parts are, how to fight off predators, and so many other things. Not many people liked that class. They didn't think it was useful. I thought it was incredible.

 _Mom taught me self-defense. She said we should be teaching it to everyone but the council didn't think so. So she just taught me._

 _"Swing it hard," she instructed. "Don't ever be afraid. Just go for it."_

 _She held up the pillow again._

 _We were practicing in our living room. We'd pushed everything aside and she taught me some basic moves._

 _We were working on a roundhouse kick. This allows me to stay a good distance away from the attacker while causing a good amount of pain and imbalance._

 _"I know you're probably never going to use these moves," she said. "But I think they're fun to learn. It's a good way to stay in shape and-"_

 _"Mama," I said with a laugh. "I like learning."_

 _"Well let's see what you've learned," she said. She nodded._

 _I prepared, putting my right leg farther back than my left. I quickly lifted my right leg, balancing on my left, and swung my leg through the air. I hit the pillow from her hand and kept going. My leg wrapped around and I spun. I made sure to end in a fighting stance._

 _"Impressive," she said with a laugh. She bent down and picked up the pillow again. "Can you do it again?"_

 _She liked to challenge me like this. And I loved it._

My first best friend lived across the hall. Nathan Miller. We'd been friends for as long as I could remember.

His father was a guard and was working toward Chief Guard. My mom didn't work as much when I was younger. And dad got to pick his own schedule. Basically, at least one of my parents were home at all times.

We watched Nate. We basically grew up together. We've been like brother and sister.

I was the first to be told he was gay. It is actually a fun story and I remember it like it was yesterday even though we were only ten years old.

 _"Cory," he whispered, sitting up quickly._

 _I sat up too and looked up at him._

 _"What?" I whispered._

 _We weren't supposed to be awake. My parents were in the next room and would yell at us if they knew we were awake._

 _"I have to tell you something," he whispered. He was looking at the small closet near the foot of my bed. "But you have to promise our friendship won't be ruined."_

 _"Pinky swear," I said, holding up my pinky._

 _He smiled a little, looking over at me. He shook my pinky and then took a deep breath._

 _"I think I'm gay," he said. His bottom lip quivered a little, as if he was expecting me to freak out._

 _I let out a breathy laugh and smiled._

 _He looked hurt. So I grabbed his arm and tugged him a little closer._

 _"I thought you were gonna say you like me," I said with a smile._

 _He laughed a little. "You're a great girl but I think I'm into dudes," he said._

 _"Understandable," I said with a nod._

 _"You don't hate me?"_

 _Being gay wasn't a bad thing. Many people were perfectly fine with that. But some of the older generation are still not super okay with it. They think it's wrong._

 _Could loving someone ever be wrong?_

 _"Why would I hate my best friend?" I asked. "I love you."_

 _"Love you too," he said, laying back down._

 _I laid down as well and we both stared at the ceiling, not speaking. And then at the same time, we started giggling and couldn't stop._

 _"Hey you two," Mom said, peeking her head into my room. "Sleep."_

 _We stopped giggling at once._

 _"Will you sing Mama?" I asked._

 _She sighed and walked into the room. She pulled the covers to our chins and sat in my desk chair. And she sang our lullaby._

 _All was right in the world._

My other best friend was Tabitha Kenton but I always called her Tabs. We met in school. She lived over on Farm Station but sat next to me in all our classes. We became good friends and she would often join me for sleepovers, especially when Nate outgrew them. We became really close really fast.

 _"He hasn't stopped looking at you," Tabs said, leaning forward to half whisper over to me._

 _"Really?" I gasped. "Are you sure he's looking at me?"_

 _She glanced behind me again. "Definitely," she said with a nod. "You should talk to him."_

 _"Oh no," I said, shaking my head. "I can't do that."_

 _"You can," she said with a nod. "Or maybe I can talk to him."_

 _"No," I said, leaning forward suddenly. "You go over there and I might have to kill you. And then I'll be locked up. And then I missed the opportunity to talk to him."_

 _"Okay," she sighed. "Drama queen. I won't bug you for like…the rest of the time in here. But I will bug you again tomorrow. And the next and the next and the next until you go talk to him."_

 _"Okay," I said with a smile. "Tomorrow."_

See I had a good life.

And one night changed it all.


	2. That Night

"Hey Doll," Nate said, walking into my room. "I got you something."

"Did you actually buy it?" I asked, raising my eyebrows.

"No," he said with a smirk. "It's for your birthday but I can't keep it a secret. So here."

He tossed me something and I caught it. It was a locket. It looked very old.

"Nate," I gasped. "Where did you get this?"

"My mom," he said. "It's been passed down for generations."

"Why are giving it to me?"

It was a beautiful necklace. It had a gold chain, the front of the locket was engraved with a pink heart and the edge were small cream gems, small names were written inside. It was amazing. But it should stay in his family.

He shrugged. "I figured my future husband isn't gonna want something like that. You can keep it. If I have a kid someday, I'll take it back and give it to them. If not, you'll have to start passing it down in your family."

I wrapped my arms around him and pulled him close. "It's amazing. Thank you."

"Cory," Dad called. "You ready to go?"

"You going to the lab today?" Nate asked, pulling back.

I nodded. I unclasped the locket and held it out to him. I turned my back and held up my hair. When I turned back around he smiled.

"Beautiful," he said.

I smiled and hugged him again. "I love you."

"I love you too," he said, kissing my nose. He was only an inch or two taller than me right now. It was perfect height for him to kiss my nose. He always made fun of me for it.

He pulled back. "Now get out of here."

I smiled and turned to walk out of my room.

We made our way to the lab and worked for a couple hours. We tried to find a way to fix life support. I don't think there was a way though.

Everyone else in the labs around us were leaving. We decided it was time. We walked back to our apartment in a comfortable silence.

"I forgot the locket," I said when we reached our apartment.

"Here," Dad said, handing me the key to his lab. "If you're not back in fifteen minutes, I'm gonna come get you."

"Okay," I said with a smile. "I'll hurry."

I took the key and quickly made my way to the lab. It was only about a six-minute walk from our door. The lights were all off. Everyone was gone.

I unlocked the lab and left the door open. I was going to be back in less than a minute anyway. It shouldn't matter.

I found the necklace sitting right where I had left it. I picked it up, unclasped it, and put it around my neck. I pushed my hair off my shoulder and turned, ready to leave.

There was a person standing in my way. It was a guard.

"You shouldn't be in here," he said in a low voice.

"Um…no," I said shaking my head. "This is my dad's lab. I have a key."

I held it up but he knocked it out of my hand. I looked at it fly across the room with my jaw dropped, then I looked back up at the guard. He locked his hand around my neck and pushed me backwards. I hit the table behind me and he pushed me onto it.

The moment I felt the table behind me was the moment I snapped out of it. I kicked my legs and scratched at him. But before I knew it, I was having trouble breathing.

He pulled my pants down.

I cried but no sound came out. I tried to kick again but he just squeezed tighter. I was starting to see stars.

I could only lay there as he raped me.

Tears fell from my eyes but no sound came out. I could barely lift a finger. I was going to pass out an minute.

He was just finishing up when the door opened. He quickly let go and turned to the door.

I gasped for air and fell from the table onto the ground. I pulled my pants up slowly but continued to just breathe.

After a few seconds, I slowly looked up and saw it was my dad. He was beating on the guard, easily winning.

And then the guard got his baton and shocked my dad. He fell to the ground and I gasped.

I tried to scream but no sound would come out. I tried to get up but I saw stars when I moved too much. I was helpless as my dad was beat.

I slowly struggled to my feet, ignoring the stars. I took a few steps over and then threw my body against him, knocking him to the ground. He climbed on top and started punching him.

He must have called for others without me noticing. Only a couple seconds later, I was being pulled off of him by two guards. I struggled and cried.

"What happened here?" the Chief Guard asked, looking between the three of us.

"I walked in," the guard said, panting a little. He held his bloody nose. "And he was raping her, his own daughter. I tried to stop them but they both attacked me."

"Liar," I yelled in a hoarse voice. "He raped me. My father saved me."

"Shut her up," the Chief Guard said. "Get her to medical and let them check her over. Then bring her to cell 104." He looked right at me. "You are under arrest for assaulting a guard."

I was being pulled from the room.

"No," I yelled. "Daddy!"

"You are under arrest for assaulting a guard as well. You will be executed in one hour."

I cried more.

They got me to medical and held me down as someone ran some tests. They patched me up a little.

I waited until the right moment, when everyone's backs were turned, and I escaped. I ran out of the hospital and down the corridors.

Everyone knew where the airlock was. It was a well-known location even though it brought nothing but death.

I got there just in time. I threw myself at my father, wrapping my arms around him.

"Daddy," I cried. "I'm sorry."

I was crying. Why wouldn't I? After what I'd been through and now my hero is being killed because he saved me. I was a mess.

"It's okay baby," he said. I could tell he was holding back tears. He slipped his ring into my hand.

I clutched it as I was pulled away by some guards. I fought back but they were strong.

Dad was pushed into the chamber and the doors were closed.

"Daddy," I cried. Tears were streaming down my face. I could barely see.

He was being floated because of me. If I hadn't forgotten my necklace, if I had hurried, if I hadn't gone alone, if I had fought back. If I had just picked one and done it, my father and I would be on the couch at home reading a book. Instead, he is being floated.

"I love you," he called, looking at me. "Tell your mom, I love her too."

Where was Mom? Shouldn't she be here for this? Did she leave us in our time of need?

"I love you," I cried. I don't know if he heard me.

He was smiling at me when he was ejected.

I screamed.

I killed my father.

I was pulled away less than a minute later. They didn't even formally charge me. I was never given a trial. I was sent straight to lock up.

My official crime was that I assaulted a guard.

The unofficial crime was 'lying' about a guard raping me.

I was thrown in solitary. They said it was only for a week. It ended up being 260 weeks. The first few weeks, they gave me an excuse. I was too unpredictable for a roommate and free time. The next weeks were due to me being pregnant. After Peyton was born, they stopped giving me excuses.

Five years in solitary and now I'm finally free.


	3. Solitary

Solitary for five years. That's gotta be boring. I'm here to tell you, it was.

The lights flip on at nine. But I'm already awake by then.

I wake around seven every day. I've always been a morning person.

The first thing I do is stretch. I stretch all my muscles before I actually get out of bed.

Then I move my bed. It was originally screwed to the ground but when I got here, it was already loose. For about a week, all I did was get the screws out. Four screws that I know keep in my book.

Once the bed is in the middle of the room, I jog around the perimeter of the room for about half an hour.

After that I workout. I do push-ups, sit-ups, lunges, leg raises, planks, etc for half an hour. I also practice different fighting techniques. I want to make sure I can always defend myself.

Then I run for another half an hour.

I stretch and set the room back in order. Less than a minute after I finished, a tray slides through a little doggy door in my room's door.

Breakfast is a simple bowl of berries, usually raspberries, a cup of water, and a bowl of stale cereal. I ate quickly and I ate it all.

After that, I would write in my journal. My mother gave it to me during her first visit about a week into my stay. I write in it every day. Usually just a couple of sentences about what Earth is gonna be like or what I'm gonna do. After visiting day, I talk about that. But most of the time it's just about what I'd do in a situation.

I then sit against my bed and throw a ball against the wall for about an hour. David got it to me my first morning here. He said Nate wanted me to have it. I sit there, throw the ball and I think.

I used to think about how I could have done things differently. I could have just left the locket on or left it there. I could have fought back faster. I could have yelled. I could have done something.

I used to think about what life would have been like. I would have had a small birthday party with my two best friends and my parents. I would have gone to school and by the age of 16, I'd have declared engineering as my career choice. I would have finally talked to John and maybe we would have gone on dates. I would have had a normal life.

I don't think about that anymore. It just makes me sad.

Now I think about what Earth will be like. How hard will it be to find clean water? Or food? Or shelter? Would I be a good hunter? Would everything be as green as it was back then?

After I'm done throwing the ball and thinking, I read. My mom brought me a book the very first visiting day. It's a big survival book. It was Mom's favorite. I read that every single day and made notes sometimes.

At noon, a guard opens the doggy door and slides in two crackers. It's my afternoon snack. Garrett, the guard, sits with me for half an hour and talks. Mostly it's just gossip but it makes the day go by faster.

I read for another hour.

Then on every day but Saturday, I practicing throwing my weapons. The first week here I worked on getting the screws out. The next week I worked on sharpening them. From then on, I threw them against my pillow until I could stick it every time. I practice for an hour every day but Saturday.

Next I read for another hour.

Saturdays were different. My door was opened and Mom and Peyton were let in. In the beginning, my mom would hug me and we'd just sit on my bed, looking down at my baby. Then when she started walking and talking, we'd be running around the room playing with her. She started to ask questions this year. It always hurt me to tell her she didn't have a father and she was being raised by her grandma because her mother was locked up and was going to die soon.

But visiting hours were still my favorite time of the entire week. I got to see my mom and my daughter for two hours. Two hours of bliss.

They would have to leave too soon. Peyton used to cry. Now she just hugs me tight and practically runs from the room.

I used to cry after they leave. No more. I am stronger. I know I'll see them again. They come every week as long as I am good. I stay good for them.

No matter what day, my stretching, running, working out, running and stretching again would take about two hours after this.

Dinner is at 5:30. I get some vegetables, sometimes fruit, a cup of water and a slice or two of bread.

After that, I write in my journal again.

Every other Monday I have a doctor's appointment. This started when I was pregnant and they just never stopped me.

On Fridays, I am taken to the shower room. I am given thirty minutes to shower, wash my clothes, and dress in new clothes. They take my old, now clean, clothes and put them in storage until next week. After that, I throw the ball around some more.

Tuesday through Thursday, Saturday and Sunday I have another chat with a guard. This one's name is Bellamy Blake. I've never seen him but he's sat outside the door and talked to me for the fourth year of my stay. He was a new guard and loved to talk about the gossip. He loved to make me laugh. But one day, he didn't come back. So instead I read during that time.

I had been starting to develop a crush on him. But I knew nothing would ever come from it. I was going to be floated before I even saw his face.

Anyways, after my half hour chat with him, I would throw the ball around again.

After another workout, I would read for about an hour. Then lights out.

That was my typical schedule for five years.

Everything was about to change. Was I ready for that?


	4. Earth Skills

The door opened. I sat up straight. Why was my door opening?

Five years and my schedule has never changed.

David walked into the room. He stopped in the doorway and looked at me.

"There is a class," he said. "It's starting in about ten minutes. It's an Earth skills class. Would you like to attend?"

I furrowed my eyebrows and nodded. I loved everything about Earth. I wanted to know as much as I could.

"You have to make me a few promises," he said with a small smile. "No talking, no drawing attention to yourself and no fighting."

I nodded quickly, standing up. Me being outside of my room was a big deal. I was not going to jeopardize that.

"Then follow me," he said with a smile. "We're putting you first in line. Choose a seat in the back."

I nodded and quickly followed. At the door, I was stopped by another guard. He held out handcuffs.

I sighed and held out my wrists. He slipped them on and tightened them.

"Remember," David said, putting a hand on my shoulder. I looked up at him. "Don't draw attention to yourself."

I nodded.

"I'll see you later Cory," he said with a smile. He walked one way as the guard took me another way.

I could see other doors opening. They were going to start getting the other prisoners out for the class.

We made it to the door and we waited. More guards and prisoners came up behind us not long after.

"If you are good today," the guard said, leaning down a little to look at me, "we can take the cuffs off for tomorrow's class."

I nodded.

The doors opened after a minute. A couple guards stepped in first and then I followed.

It was an average sized room. There were shelves all around with boxes of tools. Kane was here, watching each and every one of us enter. Abby was here; she was looking at me with a sad face. The Chancellor was here, just looking at us. Another man was here. He was standing in front of a table. About twenty or so chairs were in the room.

I smiled a little at Abby and then took my seat. I chose one in the back, far to the left. I was hoping I wouldn't be seen there.

People filed in and sat down. I just looked down at my lap, keeping my hands close to try to hide the cuffs.

"Cory?" a voice whispered.

I looked up and saw Nate standing in front of me. I jumped up.

He'd grown over the years. It has been almost five years since I last saw him. He had to be around 5'9" now. I was still stuck at 5'5" so my face rested perfectly at his shoulder. His head was still shaved short and he wore a beanie at all times. It was still Nathan Miller, my best friend.

"Hey, hey," a guard said.

I jumped back and looked at the guard with wide eyes. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry." I turned back to Nate. "Sit." I told the guard I was sorry one more time and Nate and I sat.

So much for not drawing attention to myself. People were staring.

"How are you?" he breathed, looking me over.

I smiled. "I'm fine. But you're an idiot. Stealing? Really?"

He shrugged with a smirk. It then faded. "Five years."

"I know. I still love you."

"You're still my best friend," he said with a smile. "I'm always gonna love you."

I smiled.

"Welcome to Earth skills," the man in the front said, bringing our attention up to him.

Class went by quickly, I thought. It was all stuff I already knew but he gave a different opinion on some things.

He talked about how we don't know what the Earth is like. It could have changed from the radiation.

I hadn't really thought about it.

"Water is key," he said. "You can only last three days without water whereas you can survive 30 days without food."

For two weeks we met once a day for an hour.

He taught about so many things. I listened to every word.

Nate and I always sat together. We talked a little before and a little after.

They never took the cuffs off. But we still held hands the entire time.

I couldn't believe I was finally seeing him again. Five years. We had a lot to catch up on and not a lot of time.

I knew something was going to happen. They weren't just suddenly teaching us all this.

We were going to Earth.

I didn't know when. I didn't know how. I kind of knew why. Most likely life support was failing faster than we expected.

We were going to Earth.

So I listened well. I made sure to commit everything to memory. I made sure to practice my fighting techniques.

I made sure I was ready.

What I wasn't ready for was our last class.

The first slap, I wasn't expecting. I gasped but didn't move.

The second slap, I was on the edge of my seat.

What was going on? If he hits him again, I'm stopping this.

John just turned and sat down. Pike stood over him, looking down at him.

"I know all about you, John Murphy," he said.

"Ah, you do, huh?" John was the sarcastic type. It's just one of the things I like about him.

Yes, I still have a crush on him. It's not like I've really had time to develop a crush on anyone else. No, I've had time. I just haven't seen many people since then.

"Yeah. I do. Mother drank herself to death after father was floated for stealing medicine to save you. That's a tough row to hoe. I'll give you that. So what does he do with the second chance his father gave his life to buy for him? Wasted it setting the arresting officer's quarters on fire. Say something."

He slapped him again. This time I stood up. Nate did too.

"Hey," I snapped.

I know I promised David I wouldn't draw attention to myself. After the first day, I'd been doing pretty well at this. But how can I just let this happen?

"Do something."

All he did was spit at Pike's feet. "You know, I get it. Trying to teach us to fight back."

"Wrong," he simply said, shaking his head.

Then he pulled John from his seat.

"Hey," I yelled again.

He pushed him against the wall and punched his stomach. Everyone was standing now. I couldn't find a good way to run over. So I pushed my chair back and, since I was in the back row, I had a clear path.

Before I could get there, Pike threw him across the room. He started walking toward him, ready to beat him some more.

No one was doing anything but yelling.

I did something. I grabbed the back of a chair on the end and twisted it so that the seat was almost facing me. I stepped on it and launched myself at him. I was on his back with my arms around his neck. I was still handcuffed, which made this whole thing a little harder and a lot more awkward, but I used the handcuffs to choke him. I pulled hard and kicked out. After two kicks, I was able to hit the back of his knees, forcing him to his knees. I landed on my feet and leaned over him.

I pulled a little harder and then pulled back, thinking it was over. He wasn't that crazy, right?

Wrong.

He turned and punched me in the stomach. I took half a step back and lost my breath, but I swung my foot up, ready to hit him in the head. He grabbed my leg and stood, twisting my leg. I flew in the air and spun, landing on my stomach on some chairs and knocking into some people. I could feel blood coming from my nose since I couldn't exactly stop myself from hitting the ground. Stupid handcuffs.

People helped me up. I was sore now and had a killer headache.

What the hell is wrong with this guy?

John had been standing with the help of some others. But Pike grabbed him and punched him again. He then threw him over a table.

"Cory," Nate said, reaching my side. "Are you okay?"

I nodded. "We need to stop him."

Some others tried to help but they were easily pushed off. More came to help.

Then Pike threw him on the table and started choking him.

Nate and I both ran over. Again, it was super awkward thanks to the handcuffs. Instead of running to the fight, we ran behind it. I looked around for something to hit him with, enough to knock him off John.

I found a pipe. When I looked up, Nate was right behind the fight.

"Nate," I called.

He looked up and I tossed the pipe. He hit Pike over the head and Pike backed off.

Once the others backed off a little, pulling Pike off as well, I walked over. I helped John sit up and he got off the table. I helped prop him up so he wouldn't fall.

"You okay?" I asked, leaning down to look at him.

He didn't seem to have many injuries. It was mostly just lack of oxygen and maybe a couple of bruises.

He pushed me away and stood up on his own. He looked up at me though and he suddenly seemed to forget about that.

"You're bleeding," he said.

I nodded and put my hands to my nose. It already looked to be slowing down. "It's what happens when your face connects with a chair and then the floor."

Kane and some guards were barging in before he could reply.

"Are you out of your minds?" he yelled. He looked really mad. "What the hell is this?"

We all looked around. How could we say it was Pike's fault? No one would believe us. We're all a bunch of criminals and it looks like we attacked him.

"Graduation," he said, looking at Kane. "Congratulations," he said, looking over at John and I. "Class dismissed." He left.

We were all taken back to our cells pretty quickly. It was an hour before I was taken to Abby. And hour after that I was taken to the shower room. And hour after that they came for me.


	5. We're Going To Earth

The door opened. Why did the door open?

"What's going on?" I asked.

David walked in while another guard waited at the door.

"You're going to Earth," he said simply.

"Now?" I breathed.

They came faster than I thought they would.

He nodded. "Hold out your right hand. This wristband will track your vitals on Earth."

I nodded and held out my arm. I hissed as it snapped in place.

"Can I take my book?" I asked, glancing back at it on my bed. It was sitting next to my jacket.

He nodded. "And put your jacket on."

I nodded and did as he said. I stood in front of him with my book in hand and my jacket on.

"Listen," he said, looking down at me. "Be careful down there. Stay out of trouble. And stay alive."

I nodded. "I'll watch out for Nate."

He smiled and hugged me quickly. "Follow this guard to the dropship."

I nodded.

"Goodbye Cory," he said with a small smile. He walked from the room.

I followed the guard as we walked down the hallway. I waited in line as others loaded up the dropship.

I saw Kane and Abby off to the side. Abby grabbed my arm and pulled me off to the side.

"Be careful," she said.

I nodded. "I'll watch out for Clarke," I said with a small smile.

She nodded.

I smiled again and stepped back in line. The other prisoners were giving me looks but I couldn't care less.

And then I saw him. He was there. He was standing at the entrance, helping to direct traffic.

I clenched my fists and my jaw but decided not to do anything. I didn't want to risk not being able to go to Earth.

But when it was my turn, he grabbed my arm, pulling me along.

Flashbacks hit me and I couldn't handle it.

"Let go," I said through gritted teeth. I kept looking straight ahead at the ladder I needed to climb.

His grip tightened instead.

I clenched my right fist and brought it up as I turned. I punched him hard in the throat, knocking the breath out of him. He let go and stumbled backwards a little. I grabbed hold of the front of his jacket and pulled him to me again.

"Touch me again," I whispered. "I will kill you." I swept my leg behind his, knocking him to the ground.

I took two steps back and held up my hand as another guard stepped forward. "I'm going."

I quickly turned to the ladder and climbed up it. I smiled as I heard him gasping for breath.

The guard at the next level watched me closely while he motioned for me to go straight and find a seat. I found one, right next to the ladder, and sat down. I sat on the book so that it couldn't fly up. I buckled up and waited.

"That was impressive back there," a guy said, sitting next to me.

I continued looking forward but I smiled a little.

"What'd he do?"

I looked over at him now.

It was John Murphy. My palms started sweating just knowing he was here. My heart was beating too fast and loud and I prayed he couldn't hear. I hate crushes.

I stayed silent.

"That bad?" he sighed.

I nodded, not looking away.

"You lose your voice?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.

I smiled. "No," I said giving him a look.

"Murphy," he said with a slight nod after a few seconds. Apparently he liked to go by his last name rather than his first, maybe because John was such a common name. Who names their kid Cordelia?

"Cory," I said, still smiling.

"Before class, I hadn't seen you," he said casually. "And I didn't see you between classes either."

I pursed my lips. "Solitary," I said.

"How long?"

"Five years," I said. I realized today was my fifth anniversary.

"Solitary for five years," he repeated. His jaw dropped.

I nodded.

"What did you do?"

I shrugged. "The official word is that I assaulted a guard."

"And the unofficial?"

"Nice try," I said, scrunching up my nose. "I'm not talking about that."

"Okay," he sighed. "Are you okay? You kind of took a beating the other day."

"I'm fine," I said with a smile. "You're the one that was thrown around like rag doll."

"Ouch," he said. He pretended to be hurt by that statement.

I laughed.

"Are you ready for Earth?" he asked.

I smiled a little. "I think so."

"You listened in class?"

I nodded. "My mom was the teacher before Pike. We used to talk about Earth for hours. I'm ready."

I stopped when I saw Clarke was carried in on a stretcher. She was put in a seat. And was that Wells next to her?

A few more people and then silence. The doors were closed and I could hear it starting up.

From start until finish, it is only going to take a couple of minutes.

I gripped my seatbelt, a little scared at this point. Murphy put his hand out, palm up. I looked over at him since it looked like he was offering his hand to me. He just glanced between his hand and my face. I smiled a little and put my hand on his. He tightened his grip and looked forward again.

I knew we had taken off. We would hit the atmosphere in less than a minute. People were chatting but mostly it was just the dropship making noise.

And then the screen turned on. Jaha was on it.

"Prisoners of The Ark, hear me now. You've been given a second chance, and as your Chancellor, it is my hope that you see this as not just a chance for you, but a chance for all of us, indeed for mankind itself. We have no idea what is waiting for you down there. If the odds of survival were better, we would've sent others. Frankly, we're sending you because your crimes have made you expendable." This all makes sense. I don't really know why he'd tell us but it makes sense.

"Your dad is a dick, Wells," someone called. I don't think anyone can deny that. But don't take it out on Wells. He was arrested too.

"If, however, you do survive, those crimes will be forgiven, your records wiped clean. The drop site has been chosen carefully. Before the last war, Mount Weather was a military base built within a mountain. It was to be stocked with enough non-perishables to sustain 300 people for up to two years. No one ever made it there. Because we spare you no food, or water, or medicine, I cannot stress strongly enough, that Mount Weather is life."

My attention was drawn away as someone yelled, "Spacewalk bandit strikes again."

"Go, Finn!"

I looked over to see someone floating in the air. He was an idiot. We were going to hit the ground and he was going to go flying.

"Check it out. Your dad floated me, after all."

"You should strap in before the parachutes deploy," Wells said.

"Hey," I called, seeing two others trying to get out of their seats. "Stay put if you want to live."

"You must locate those supplies immediately," I heard Jaha said. He was talking to us like we were idiots. Well, I guess some of us were. Your one responsibility is stay alive."

"Stay in your seats," Clarke yelled.

The parachutes finally deployed. Finn went flying into the wall. The two others that tried to follow did too.

What did I tell you? Idiots.

I gripped Murphy's hand and my seatbelt tightly as we hurtled toward Earth.

When we hit it, my head snapped forward. The first thing I did was massage my neck a little. Already hurt myself on Earth.

"Listen," someone said. "No machine hum."

"Whoa. That's a first," someone else replied.

Then everyone was getting up. I unbuckled my seatbelt and stood up. I grabbed my book and Murphy grabbed my hand.

I looked up at him with my heart hammering in my chest but he just smirked. He pulled me toward the ladder, pushing people out of the way. He let me climb down first.

I climbed down to the next level and found it was already filling with people. I stood at the bottom and waited for Murphy. He did push people out of the way for me. It was only right that I waited so we could stick together.

He took my hand again and again my heart raced. He pulled me near the front again and I looked up, confused as I saw a guard at the door.

Why would they send one guard down with us? He's going to be killed.

"Hey, just back it up, guys," he said. I feel like I've heard that voice before. I mean I'm sure I've heard all the guards before and just rarely seen them face to face.

"Stop," a girl said. "The air could be toxic." I turned and saw Clarke had pushed through to right next to me.

"If the air is toxic, we're all dead, anyway." Seriously, I know this voice. He wasn't just a passing guard.

"Bellamy?" a girl asked.

Bellamy? The guard from last year? He's here? Standing in front of me?

He was similar to what I expected. He was tall and fit. He had dark hair, slicked back a little. He had warm brown eyes and a nice smile. He was actually a little hotter than I expected.

"My God," he said. I looked next to me. A girl was looking up at him. She looked a lot like him. I recognized her from the class. She helped me up. "Look how big you are."

They hugged and it was all very cute. But who was she? "What the hell are you wearing?" she asked, pulling back. "A guard's uniform?"

"I borrowed it to get on the drop ship. Someone has got to keep an eye on you."

They laughed a little and hugged again. Like I said earlier, very cute.

"Where's your wristband?" Clarke asked. Obviously he wasn't a prisoner. Maybe she's not as smart as I once thought she was.

"Do you mind? I haven't seen my brother in a year."

And that clears everything up. Bellamy was a guard the year before. But he was covering for his sister so he got fired. She went to lockup. I remember Garrett telling me the story. He never told me their names. It's awfully sweet that he came down to help.

"Octavia, Octavia, no," Bellamy said, holding her back. She's a little feisty. "Let's give them something else to remember you by."

"Yeah? Like what?" Octavia asked, looking over at him.

"Like being the first person on the ground in a hundred years." He pulled the lever to open the door.

Bright sunlight shown in. I had to squint against it. When I got used to it, I saw a beautiful scenery. Lots of green in the tall trees and the full bushes. A beautiful blue sky peeked through the trees.

I've seen hundreds of pictures of Earth. But nothing can compare to actually being here.

Octavia slowly stepped down the door and jumped onto the ground. She took a coupe steps and we were all holding our breathes.

"We're back bitches," she yelled, throwing her arms up.

I practically ran from the dropship. I stopped a little way from it and lifted my head to the sky. I turned in a circle, just breathing it all in.

We were on Earth.


	6. Making A Plan

"Cory," a voice called.

I put my arms down and looked away from the sky. Arms were wrapped around me and I instantly knew who it was. I looped my arms around his waist and pulled him close.

"We're on Earth," I breathed.

"We're on Earth," he repeated.

I pulled him close again.

"Was that John Murphy I saw with you earlier?" he asked, raising an eyebrow at me.

I smiled. "Yes," I said. "He sat next to me on the ship."

"Is that gonna turn into a thing?" Nate asked.

"With a little luck, maybe," I said with smile. "Did you get to see Bryan before we left?"

"Last visiting day," he said with a smirk.

We both had a good laugh.

"What about Tabs? Have you seen her recently?"

"She came too," he said with a nod. "She's okay."

"Good," I said with a smile. "She'll be okay, right?"

"I think we should be worrying about us," Nate said.

"Nah," I said with a shake of my head. "We'll be perfectly fine and we'll see her in a month or two."

He smiled and nodded.

"We're on the ground," Bellamy said loudly. "That not good enough for you?"

Nate and I looked over. I sighed. What was going on now?

"We need to find Mount Weather. You heard my father's message. That has to be our first priority," Wells was saying.

"Screw your father," Octavia said.

"What, you think you're in charge here, you and your little Princess?" Bellamy asked.

Was he always like this? Did I just not realize he was a bad guy? Maybe not bad. Just annoying.

"Do you think we care who's in charge?" Clarke asked. I wanted her to shut up. I wanted her to not get on anyone's bad side. "We need to get to Mount Weather not because the Chancellor said so, but because the longer we wait, the hungrier we'll get and the harder this'll be. How long do you think we'll last without those supplies? We're looking at a twenty-mile trek, okay? So if we want to get there before dark, we need to leave now."

"I got a better idea. You two go, find it for us. Let the privileged do the hard work for a change," Bellamy said.

Everyone was agreeing with the idiot. I thought I'd gotten to know him through our talks, but I guess not. I never realized he was a power hungry idiot.

"How about," I started, stepping forward a little. I could feel Nate's glare behind me. He didn't want me to draw attention to ourselves. Some of these people were murderers.

"We give them a hand. We all need food. And Mount Weather is a lot safer than the dropship."

"Safer?" he asked.

"Yeah," I scoffed. "Safer. There are predators out here. You really think we can defend ourselves?"

"I know we can defend ourselves," he said, looking around at everyone. They were agreeing with him "We can do anything we want down here."

"So you want to die?" I laughed. "Have fun. I'm gonna go get some food. Maybe I'll bring you some back."

I turned and walked back toward Nate. I stopped and looked back when I heard Wells talking.

"You're not listening. We all need to go," Wells said. This kid was going to be the death of me.

"Look at this everybody," Murphy said, stepping up behind him and shoving him a little. "The Chancellor of Earth."

"Think that's funny?" He grunted when Murphy pushed him over. Wells hurt his ankle.

"No but that was," Murphy said with a smirk.

Why is Murphy like this? On the dropship, he was really kind of nice. Now he's just an asshole.

The two were getting ready to fight.

"Don't do anything stupid," Nate said.

"Sorry," I said with a face. "I promised Abby I would look out for Clarke. And you know she's going to step up any second now."

I sighed and rolled my eyes. I reached up and pulled a screw from my hair. I threw it quickly. It embedded into the dropship inches from Murphy.

All movement stopped.

I marched back over. I stopped in front of Murphy and pulled the screw out.

"Knock it off," I snapped. I put it back in my hair.

I turned to Wells. Murphy stopped me though with a hand on my arm.

I quickly turned and pushed his arm behind his back. I pushed up a little but not enough to hurt him too much. I leaned forward against him to whisper in his ear.

"I said knock it off."

I pushed a little harder and then let him go, pushing him away a little. I turned to Wells again.

I know Murphy was glaring at me but he stayed silent. He and his group walked away.

There goes my chance with him. On the dropship, I swear he was going to ask me out or something. We were holding hands and smiling. But now, I doubt he'd even want to look at me anymore.

"Impressive," someone said, jumping down from the dropship. He gave me a smirk and helped Wells over to sit down near Clarke.

"Do you have a death wish?" Nate asked, grabbing my arm.

"I can take care of myself," I said.

"I can see that," he said with a face. "What was that?"

"That was five years in solitary. Pretty sure I could take anyone here."

"Pike beat you," he pointed out.

"I was handcuffed," I said. "And he was trained for that."

"So Mount Weather," I heard Finn say. He was standing over by Clarke and Wells now. "When do we leave?"

"Right now. We'll be back tomorrow with food."

I pulled Nate over near the others.

"How are the two of you gonna carry enough food for a hundred?"

Finn turned and grabbed two guys. "Four of us. Can we go now?"

"Sounds like a party," Octavia said, walking over. "Make it five."

"Hey, what the hell are you doing?" Bellamy asked, grabbing her arms.

"Going for a walk," she said with a face. She shook off his grip.

"I'll come too," I said, stepping forward.

"Cory."

"You stay here," I said, looking at Nate.

"Cory."

"Watch him," I said in a lower voice, nodding toward Wells. "I'll bring some food for you. And when I get back, we can work together to convince everyone to go. Okay? So make some friends here. You know you're way better than I am."

He sighed and smiled. He wrapped his arms around me and I hugged him back.

"See ya later," I said, kissing his cheek.


	7. To Mount Weather

"Let's go," Clarke said.

The three guys walked away. Octavia talked to her brother first. Clarke said goodbye to Wells.

"I'll be back tomorrow," I said. He opened his mouth but I beat him to it. "I'll be careful."

He leaned down and kissed my cheek.

I turned and followed the others.

"Before you get any ideas," Octavia started when we were a few yards away. "Finn's mine."

"Before you get any ideas," Clarke said. "I don't care."

She walked a little faster and Octavia looked at me.

"He's not the one I'm after," I said with a smile.

"Oh," she said with a nod. "Who are you after?"

I shrugged with a face. I walked a little faster and caught up with everyone else.

"Who are you?" one of the guys asked.

"Dude," the other said. "Rude."

"I'm Cory," I said with a smile.

"I'm Monty," the nice one said. "This is Jasper. That's Finn. She's Octavia. And Clarke's leading."

"Thanks," I said with a smile.

We walked in silence for about thirty seconds before Finn picked a flower for Octavia.

"Now, that, my friend, is game," Jasper said to Monty. I rolled my eyes.

"That, my friend, is poison sumac," Monty said.

"What? It is?" She brushed it out of her hair quickly.

"The flowers aren't poisonous. They're medicinal, calming, actually." He ate one. He then offered one to me and I took it. It didn't really taste like anything.

"His family grows all the pharmaceuticals on The Ark," Jasper explained.

"Hey, guys, would you try to keep up?" Clarke asked. She was annoyed with us.

"Come on, Clarke," Finn sighed. "How do you block all this out?"

"Well, it's simple. I wonder, 'why haven't we seen any animals?' Maybe it's because there are none. Maybe we've already been exposed to enough radiation to kill us. Sure is pretty, though. Come on."

She had a point. We haven't seen a single animal yet. They might have all been killed. Or we just scared them off. We're not exactly being quiet.

"Someone should slip her some poison sumac," Octavia muttered.

I smiled and Jasper snorted.

"I got to know what you two did to get busted," Finn said, looking at Jasper and Monty.

"Sumac is not the only herb in the garden, if you know what I mean," Monty said with a look. I smiled and shook my head.

"Someone forget to replace what we took," Jasper said, looking at Monty.

"Someone has apologized, like, a thousand times," Monty said. Now I laughed. They were so cute.

"What about you, Cory?" Finn asked, looking over at me.

I sucked in a breath. "Assaulted a guard," I said with a smile.

"How about you, Octavia?" Jasper started.

Good. They believed me and didn't press. I didn't really want to tell anyone about what happened to me. Nate knew and that was enough for me.

"What'd they get you for?" Jasper finished.

"Being born," she said, walking faster.

"That is so not game," I said.

Jasper and Monty both looked at me. I just made a face and shrugged. I stepped past them and caught up with Clarke.

"Wait," I said, pulling on her arm. There was a deer in the distance.

"No animals, huh?" Finn asked, stepping up next to me.

He moved forward a little and stepped on a stick. It broke and the deer lifted its head. It turned towards us.

My heart stopped.

It had two heads. The deer had two heads. It ran off quickly but we were all left panting.

If radiation did that to a deer, what would it do to us?

"Let's go," I breathed, straightening up. "Come on."

I started walking away. Everyone caught up and we were all silent for a while.

"Why'd you come?" Clarke asked, looking over at me.

"I know your mom," I said, watching the trail. "I promised her I'd watch out for you. And you guys needed help."

She smiled a little. I've only known her for maybe an hour or two but I could tell that was a rare thing. She was a very serious person.

We walked in silence for a while.

"Hey," Finn said suddenly. "You know what I'd like to know? Why send us down today after ninety seven years? What changed?"

"Who cares?" Octavia asked with a smile. "I'm just glad they did. I woke up rotting in a cell, and now I'm spinning in a forest." She spun around a tree and looked at Finn. She was a very flirty girl.

"Maybe they found something on a satellite, you know, like an old weather satellite or..." Monty was cut off by Clarke.

"It wasn't a satellite. The Ark is dying."

I already knew this part. I didn't know the exact time left though. It must be pretty low for them to send us to the ground.

"At the current population level, there's roughly three months left of life support, maybe four now that we're gone."

"So that was the secret they locked you up to keep, why they kept you in solitary, floated your old man?" Finn asked, looking at her.

Jake's dead? That would explain why he stopped visiting. But why would a secret like that float him?

"My father and I found out when I was 12," I said. "Then we had about six years. We tried to fix it but we never got around to it."

Everyone was looking at me with wide eyes. No one knew this, not even Clarke.

"My father told me he discovered the flaw," she said.

I shook my head slowly. "He knew about it. My father and I did find a way to add on another year or two. Jake must have realized it was worse than we'd thought."

Clarke nodded slowly. "He thought the people had a right to know. The Council disagreed. My mother disagreed. They were afraid it would cause a panic. We were gonna go public, anyway, when Wells…"

"What, turned in your dad?" Monty asked. Clarke didn't say anything but she didn't have to. We all knew.

"Anyway, the guard showed up before we could. That's why today. That's why it was worth the risk. Even if we all die, at least they bought themselves more time."

"They're gonna kill more people, aren't they?" I asked softly. All I could think about was my family. I did not want them dead. They needed to get down here.

"Good," Octavia said. My jaw dropped. "After what they did to me, I say, float them all." She walked away.

"You don't mean that," Jasper said.

"We have to warn them," Finn said.

"That's what my father said." She smiled a little.

"Oh, damn, I love Earth."

I followed Jasper's gaze and saw Octavia was taking off her pants. What the hell was she doing now?

"Octavia, what the hell are you doing?" Clarke yelled, stepping forward a little.

Octavia just smiled and turned away from us. She jumped off the rocks and I heard a splash. We all ran over.

"Octavia…" Clarke said. She sounded like a disappointed parent. I think that's her usual tone.

"I can't swim," Monty said, pouting. Octavia was in a river. The water covered just to her eyes.

"I know, but we can stand." She stood up with a smile. "Ha ha ha!"

"Wait," Clarke said. "There's not supposed to be a river here."

"Well, there is. So take off your damn clothes." Finn was smiling and pulling off his jacket.

I pulled off mine as well and reached for my boots. I stopped and squinted.

"Octavia," I called. "Get out of the water."

Something was in the water and it was coming for her.

She screamed as it grabbed her. It pulled her under.

"Octavia," I yelled. I stepped closer to the water. How could we get her out of there?

"What the hell is that?" Monty gasped.

"Help me," I said, pushing against a rock.

Seconds later, Finn and Clarke were helping me. The rock fell into the water and the thing let her go.

But she was drowning now. None of us could swim. How could we help her?

"Octavia, get to shore now," Jasper yelled, running over.

We couldn't reach her. So Jasper jumped in and grabbed her. We pulled them to shore just as the thing leapt from the water. I kicked out at it and it left.

"Note to self," Monty said, panting a little. He smiled and looked down at Jasper. "Next time, save the girl."

We all laughed a little.

We camped out for the night. We were more or less silent as we walked into the woods a little ways. We didn't want to be right out in the open or next to the river while we slept. Jasper and Monty helped Octavia. Finn and Clarke led us.

"We'll camp here for the night," Clarke said. "We'll leave at first light."

We all nodded and found a spot. Jasper leaned against a tree and Octavia laid her head on his chest. Monty wasn't far from them. I was near Monty, using a pill of moss as a pillow. Clarke and Finn were on the other side of a thick root.

We didn't talk much; we all fell asleep quickly. I whispered my lullaby first. But then I was out.

I woke just before dawn. I slowly sat up and stretched. I walked a little ways away and started running in place.

A twig snapped right behind me. I grabbed a screw from my hair and held it in my hand as I turned.

It was just Clarke. She walked over.

"What were you doing?"

"Running," I said. "I've worked out every morning for the past five years." I shrugged. "I didn't think today should be any different."

"Five years?"

"I've been in solitary for five years," I said with a slow nod.

"What'd you do?" she asked.

"I assaulted…quite a few guards," I said. "I was too unstable for a roommate."

"Oh," she said. "You seem to know a lot about Earth."

"My mom was the teacher," I said. "She loves Earth." I couldn't help but smile and then it faded. "I wish she could be here to see it."

"They'll come down soon," she said. "But right now we should worry about ourselves. We need to get to Mount Weather soon."

I nodded. "Let's go." I put the screw back and walked past her. "Wake up," I said, lightly kicking Monty's foot. I did the same to Jasper, who woke up Octavia just by jolting upright. Finn was already sitting up. "Let's go."

Again we walked in silence for a while. Today we were going to cross the river.

We'd planned it out the night before. All we needed were a bunch of vine-like branches. It was easy enough to get them all lined up and tied together. We, meaning I, tied it in a big tree. When I climbed back down, Finn was getting ready to go.

"You wanted to go first," Clarke said. "Now quit stalling."

"Mount Weather awaits," Finn said, pulling on it a little. It was going to hold. Hopefully.

"Just hang on till the apogee, and you'll be fine," Jasper instructed. I stood next to them and waited.

"The apogee like the Indians, right?" Finn asked. I tried hard not to roll my eyes.

"Apogee, not apache."

"He knows. Today, Finn," Clarke sighed.

"Aye, aye, captain." He saluted her. "See you on the other side." He was about to go when Jasper stopped him.

"Wait."

"What?"

"Let me. I can do it." He just wanted to impress Octavia.

"Knew there was a badass in there somewhere." Jasper just laughed a little. "Hey, it's okay to be afraid, Jasper. The trick is not fighting it."

"You've got this, Jasper," I said. I smiled over at him.

"See you on the other side," Jasper said with a nervous smile. "Ha ha!" he yelled, jumping from the rocks. "Whoo! Whoo! Whoo!" He landed rather awkwardly on the other side. Finn caught the rope when it came back.

We all waited to see if he was okay. He jumped up and looked at us. "Yeah! We are apogee! Yeah!"

We all cheered. "You did it, Jasper," I yelled. "Yes!"

I grabbed the rope from Finn's hands and pulled it back.

"You've got this," Finn said with a smirk.

"I know," I said with a smile. I leapt off the rocks.

I saw Jasper holding up a Mount Weather sign. We made it.

I flew through the air. It was liberating. But that didn't last long.

A spear flew through the air and hit Jasper right in the chest. He flew backwards, eyes wide and mouth gaping.

Where did the spear come from? Who threw it? There were others here?

I landed on the ground in a crouch. "Run," I yelled at the others.

I hoped they would run. We didn't need anyone else to get hurt. They needed to go back and get help.

I ran to Jasper. I leaned down, ready to check his pulse.

I didn't get to though.

I was knocked forward when an arrow pierced my shoulder. It hurt like hell but I got up and hid behind a tree anyways.

I heard a few more arrows fly.

I peeked around the trunk and looked across the river. I couldn't see anyone. And the others were gone. Good.

I turned just in time to see a man grab my head and slam it against the tree in front of me. I dropped like dead weight.

As I was closing my eyes, I saw the man kneel down in front of me.

He was just like any man I'd seen on the Ark. But he was taller, more muscular, tanner. He was covered in furs and clothing. His face was covered in scars and tattoos though.

I was out before I could see anything else.


	8. Fight Back

I slowly blinked my eyes open. I glanced around slowly, trying to figure out where I was.

I was thrown over someone's back. My wrists were tied together. From what I could see, there was one other person right next to him, dragging Jasper. There was either no one else or they were in front.

I paused and looked at Jasper. He was still alive right? Why else would they be dragging him with them? Unless they're cannibals. I almost shuddered at the thought.

But then he hit a rock and moaned. He was still alive. I smiled a little at the thought. He was a fighter.

I know they already took the arrow out of me. If it had still been in, I would have felt it pressing against my arm. I would have to use the screws as weapons. Or take theirs.

I looked around again, trying to see if it was just the four of us. I was hoping it was. I think I could maybe take them both if I was fast enough.

A voice said something in a language I couldn't decipher.

I was suddenly being placed on my feet.

I looked up to see the man was covered head to toe. He wore a mask but I could just barely see his neck between the mask and his clothes.

I glanced around and saw that there were at least three other men and Jasper. We were in the middle of the forest. There didn't look like any civilization or landmark was around so I'm guessing we still had some ways to go.

I didn't know where I was. Running would probably be useless. But it would be better than being taken wherever these people are from.

"Sorry," I whispered. I quickly reached up, grabbed a screw and shoved it into the side of the man's neck.

He clutched his neck and dropped to his knees. As he fell, I grabbed the sword I saw in his belt. I had no idea how to use it but I would try.

I spun on my heels and held the sword out in front of me. I watched as the other three looked up in surprise. They didn't think I was gonna fight back. Boy were they wrong.

My hands were still tied together, which sucked, but I could work with it.

The first one lunged at me. I held up my sword to block his. I pushed back with all my strength which, let's be honest, isn't much. I was able to get his sword away from my face and bring mine down to slash his stomach. He was down. I don't think he was dead though.

The second one came at me fast. He was able to swing his sword at me and slice the tops of both my thighs. I stumbled backwards a little and he took this time to bring up his knife. I threw my arms up, just in time to avoid getting a knife stabbed in my face.

Instead it was stabbed into my forearm. It went all the way through. The man and I both stared at it for a few seconds. I think he thought it was over. I screamed and slashed my sword across his neck. Blood sprayed me as I slashed his throat.

He fell and I looked for the next one to kill. I say kill because I know if I don't kill them, they'll kill me. Especially now.

I gasped when pain shot through my stomach and dropped my sword. Stupid, I know. I glanced down and saw that my shirt was cut open right below my boobs. Blood was already spilling from the wound. I think it was from an arrow shot from the side. It cut pretty deep and embedded itself into the tree to my left.

I turned to the right to find the archer. It was definitely an archer that hit me earlier. I know because there is now an arrow in my gut.

I growled and pulled the knife from my arm. As hard as I could, I threw the knife at the archer. He was maybe thirty feet away and I hit him right in the forehead.

My eyes widened as he fell. I had no idea I could do that. I'd practiced with screws but I'd never even held a knife before. I'd never held a sword either and I was using that pretty well. The only time I'd ever withstood pain of really any kind was when I had Bella. This is one hundred times worse because I have no drugs. But I was somehow surviving.

I shouldn't have stopped and stared.

The second man I'd taken down, grabbed my ankle, pulling back. I fell with a scream, arms trying to flail but being restricted by the bounds. I fell to the ground and let out another scream. The arrow that had been in my gut, was pushed all the way through as I landed flat on it.

The man then lifted my head and slammed it into the ground. I was out again.

This time I woke with a gasp.

A blindfold was around my eyes. I couldn't see anything.

My hands were above my head, tied to what I think is a branch. I wiggled a little and realized that my hips and lower thighs were also tied to the tree.

"Jasper?" I whispered. "Please tell me you're still alive."

There was silence. Was he here? Was he alive?

Then I heard a moan.

He was here and alive. I smiled at that.

Now the question is: why? Why were we still alive? Why was I strung up? Why was I blindfolded? There were so many questions.

But I didn't need to worry about those right now. I needed to get out of here.

I pulled on the rope around my wrists. It wasn't super tight so if I wiggled enough, I think I could escape. The ropes dug into my wrists as I tried but I kept going. I couldn't reach my screws so I just pulled on it until I could get out.

It felt like hours but in all reality it was probably a couple minutes. I was able to get one hand out.

Just in time too.

I heard movement in the brush.

I quickly reached up and pushed the blindfold up. Nate, Clarke, Finn, Murphy, Wells and Bellamy were hurrying towards us.

I smiled a relieved smile but that only lasted a second.

There was a hole in the ground with pointed sticks at the bottom. And they were heading right towards it, just steps away.

"Wait," I called.

But it was too late. Clarke fell in and Bellamy caught her arm.

I've decided that I hate him. He was eyeing her wristband and didn't pull her up right away. He did eventually but I actually thought he might let her fall to her death.

They had a little moment, making sure Clarke was okay.

That's cool. I'll just hang out in this tree a little longer. No big deal. And it's not like Jasper was dying or anything.

Nate was running over quickly though. He quickly climbed up to me.

"Are you okay?" he asked, looking me over.

"I'm fine," I said with a smile and a shake of my head. "But you wanna get me down?"

Finn climbed up as well and he handed Nate a knife as well. They cut the bounds around my hips first, then my thighs, and then my wrists. Nate held me while Finn cut.

I wrapped my arms around Nate when he was finished.

"It's okay," he said, pulling me close. "You're okay." He pulled back. "Murphy! She's coming down." He turned to look at me. "I'm gonna lower you into his arms."

I wrinkled my nose.

I embarrassed him not too long ago. Why would he want to help me? If I were him, I wouldn't have even come.

"You'd be surprised," Nate said. "I think he's actually concerned."

I smiled.

"Nate," Finn called.

Nate grabbed my hands and lowered me from the tree. Murphy wrapped his arms around my thighs and Nate let go. I was slowly lowered to the ground, but not all the way. He stopped before my feet hit the ground. He was looking me over.

"Are you okay?" he asked softly.

I nodded. "I'm fine."

He looked over me again, raising his eyebrows.

I looked down as well and gasped.

What is wrong with these people? Who takes someone's clothes? I was in my bra and underwear. That's it. They even stole my shoes. Jasper got to keep his pants and shoes but not me. Why didn't I?

"Be careful," Clarke yelled to Finn and Nate, who were still cutting Jasper down. He was trickier than I was since he was unconscious and couldn't help.

Murphy let me down. But I cried out the second I put weight on my right ankle.

"Cory," Nate called.

I looked down and saw that it was wrapped in a cast like thing. I could tell it was swollen and bruised. It looked like a sprain but I wasn't sure. I just knew that it hurt.

Murphy's arms were around me again, under my arms this time. He was about to lift me up.

"I'm okay," I said. I kind of just said it to everyone.

I was fine. Yes, I went through hell. No, I'm not going to break down in tears. I don't think I will.

That's when we heard the growling.

Everyone turned to the sound. In the distance, I could see a panther stalking us. It was reasonably sized and

"Bellamy, gun," Clarke said, looking over at him.

But Wells had the gun. He was firing, missing most of the time. And then it disappeared in the tall brush.

Where was it?

I noticed Murphy subconsciously stepped closer to me. He positioned himself between where the panther disappeared and me. It was sweet.

I gasped when the panther leapt out of the brush towards Bellamy. It was shot down right away though and everyone just stood around panting.

"Now she sees you," Bellamy said.

I figured Wells liked Clarke. I remember seeing them before I was locked away and it makes sense. He's loved her since we were all little.

But from my time with Clarke and Finn, I knew there was at least flirtation between them.

Wow, life on Earth was already getting confusing, yet so normal.

"Murphy," Finn called.

We both looked up and saw that they had mostly cut Jasper down. They needed Murphy to catch him.

I hopped back and waited. Murphy awkwardly caught Jasper and lowered him to the ground. Jasper was moaning loudly.

I knelt next to him as the other two climbed down.

I brushed the hair away from his eyes. "You're okay now," I whispered. "Just hold on."

Finn and Nate hoisted him up as I stood up. Nate gave me a look first, of course. I just glanced over at Murphy who had come back over by me. He understood that Murphy's got me, for now at least.

Murphy turned to me and grabbed one arm. He put it over his shoulders and held onto my hand. He wrapped his other arm around my waist. The four of us made our way over to the others.

Bellamy was looking me up and down with a smirk. His eyes lingered on my boobs and he didn't even try to hide it.

"Eyes up here buddy," I snapped, pointing to my face. "You too," I said when I saw Clarke looking down too.

She just stepped forward and reached out, touching my stomach. When I flinched back, she just stepped closer.

"They put something on your wound," she said, looking down at it.

I looked down as well. My shoulder, my arm, my stomach, my gut and my legs were all covered in this gross slimy stuff. But they didn't hurt much so it must have been helping.

Murphy let go of me and I just awkwardly stood there on one foot.

"Here," he said, handing me his jacket.

I looked up and smiled. He was being really nice to me. I don't really understand why. But I slipped on the jacket and said, "Thanks."

"Let's get out of here," Finn said. I saw that Wells had gone over and helped with Jasper.

Nate was watching me, seeing if I needed help. But Murphy was ready to help me.

Murphy turned around and said, "Get on."

I climbed onto his back and we set off. Clarke was leading with Finn and Wells next with Jasper. Murphy followed them with me on his back. Bellamy and Nate were last with the panther.


	9. Ride Back

I could feel eyes on me as we left. I know Nate would be watching, concerned. But I could feel Bellamy watching me as well. His eyes on me made me feel gross.

"So what'd you do to get locked up?" Murphy asked again.

"I'm not talking about that," I scoffed.

"Was it that bad?"

"That stupid," I replied, making a face that he couldn't see.

"I set my father's arresting officer's quarters on fire," he said.

I laughed a little. "Really?"

He nodded. "Well, what did you do for five years?" he asked, changing the subject a little.

"Lots of thinking and working out and reading," I said. "Anything to keep me busy."

"That has to suck."

"It did. But now I'm free…and injured. I still can't do much." I frowned at that.

"Yeah…uh…what'd they do to you?"

I sighed. "What didn't they do to me? First, it was that they just shot me with an arrow and then knocked me out. I fought back though and that's when I got really hurt. Um…I used one of my screws to stab a guy in the throat, killing him. I then got a hold of a sword and I think I killed another of their guys. The last one I killed with a knife to the forehead. I killed three of them. But I got an arrow to the gut, twisted my ankle, got slashed in the stomach and the thighs, stabbed in the arm, and I split open my head. At least I took a few down before I was taken down by the one I didn't kill."

"Wow," he whistled. "You're kind of badass."

"Thanks," I said with a bitter smile. I rested my head on his shoulder. "And thanks for carrying me. I'm sorry about earlier."

He didn't say anything but I felt him tense up.

"I kind of became friends with Clarke's mom and Clarke's friends with Wells, though she'll deny that. Protecting Clarke means protecting her friends. And you were kind of being a dick."

He let out a low laugh. I don't think I was supposed to hear it. I smiled.

We hit a waterfall and pond not long after. Nate and Murphy had to help me through it. It was a little awkward since we were all stumbling over rocks. But then they just let me float across while Nate pulled me along.

"I've got her," Nate said when I was standing again. I smiled at Murphy and then climbed on Nate's back.

"Thanks Boo," I said, reaching forward and kissing his cheek.

"Don't hurt yourself, Doll," he replied. I could tell he was smirking. "You okay back there?"

I nodded and then realized he couldn't see that. "I'm fine. Thanks for carrying me."

"You deserve a break."

"I do. Fighting back and…killing…is hard work."

"You actually killed them?"

"You should've seen them," I said softly. "It was kill or be killed. I mean I guess they weren't going to kill me. But they strung me up as live bait. I was going to die."

"I wasn't gonna let that happen," he said. "Are they following?"

I furrowed my eyebrows and turned my head. Murphy and Bellamy were following a couple yards behind with the panther. I smiled when I saw Murphy was already looking at me. I turned back around.

"Yeah."

"How far?"

"A couple yards."

He lowered his voice. "Murphy was actually trying to use non-existent Earth skills to try to find you. I thought he was just going to mindlessly follow but he led the way at one point. I think he likes you."

"I hope so," I whispered. "I've had a crush on him for like six years."

"You should talk to him," he said with a shrug. I laughed as that put him off balance.

"Well he did give me his jacket," I said. "I'll have to give it back at some point."

He laughed and shook his head.

"And while I'd love to talk about him all day," I said with a smile. "I actually have something else to tell you."

"What?"

"Bellamy used to be a guard." I lowered my voice again so that no one else could hear. "My fourth year, he used to sit outside my door for a half an hour every single day. We would talk about anything and everything. I don't know if he remembers me though."

"Everything?"

I sighed. "Not that. But everything else, yeah."

"And he hasn't said anything?"

"No," I groaned. "It's kind of annoying. Am I not memorable?"

"Oh you're too annoying not to be memorable."

"Jerk."

"But you love me."

"Yeah," I sighed. I rested my head on his shoulder. I was tired and I barely did anything.

"Take a nap," he said. "You earned it."

"Thanks," I whispered. I closed my eyes but it was too awkward to sleep like that. I just rested.

Not much happened until dark, maybe two hours later. The ground was fairly flat the whole way, a little downhill even. Nate was still carrying me though I could tell I was getting a little heavy.

"I can take over," someone said.

Nate stopped and I lifted my head. Murphy was standing next to us. Bellamy walked up to us as well and stopped, waiting for Nate to help with the panther.

I slid off his back and squeezed his hand. "Thanks."

He smiled and when he was behind Murphy, he gave me a look.

"You know I can walk if you just help me," I said. "I don't need to be carried."

He rolled his eyes with a…smile? I couldn't not smile if he was smiling.

"You can't walk," he said as he stepped closer. He lifted me into his arms, bridal style. I put one arm over his neck and held on.

I gave Nate a look, which Bellamy saw, before turning back to Murphy.

"I'm sorry you have to carry me," I whispered, resting my head on his shoulder.

"I'm not," he whispered back. He wasn't looking at me though. In fact, he didn't look at me the rest of the way.

It turns out we were only half an hour from camp. When we walked through the trees, people were talking.

The only people to even acknowledge that I was there though, were the people who rescued me, Octavia and Monty.

"Are you okay?" Octavia asked, looking at me.

I nodded. "I'm fine."

"Who's hungry?" Bellamy called when he dropped the panther.

Great. This was going to make him think he was the leader even more. And everyone was going to start believing it because he brought back the panther even though Wells shot it and any one of us could have been the one carrying it back. Murphy could have carried it back and everyone would have loved him but instead he was stuck carrying me. Nate helped but no one's even going to look at him.

"Get her to the dropship," Bellamy instructed. He was talking like I wasn't even there. "And then get back out here. We've got work to do."

Murphy carried me to the dropship. He walked inside and we found that Clarke was on the top floor. I couldn't climb the ladder so we had to wait for Finn and Wells to help us.

I felt so helpless as Finn grabbed my arms and pulled me to the next level.

"Thank you," I called as Murphy walked away.

He didn't stop.

Just before he left the dropship, Nate stopped him. "Thanks, man," he said.

Murphy nodded and left.


	10. He Likes Me, He Likes Me Not

For an hour or so, I just laid there. Clarke checked me over but didn't do much. She said the stuff they put on was actually helping a lot.

Octavia and Monty refused to leave Jasper's side at first. But even they were hungry.

I sat next to Jasper and just stroked his hair for a while.

"You're safe now," I whispered. "But you should wake up soon. I think your girlfriend's moving on." He moaned a little but didn't wake up.

Maybe it was for the best. If he woke up, he was gonna be in a lot of pain.

I saw Nate climbing up the ladder. He looked angry.

"What's up?"

"They're making us take our wristbands off for food," he said. "There's a huge line."

"They can't do that," I said. I struggled to try to stand.

"No, no, no," he said, pushing me back down. "Clarke said you needed to rest."

"They do not get to do that," I said. "They are killing hundreds of people, including us. We can't survive down here alone because we're not alone down here. They speared Jasper. They did…this to me. We're not gonna be able to survive down here without the guard."

There was a noise. Someone was climbing up the ladder.

I looked over and saw that Murphy was climbing up the ladder.

"I'm not giving you my wristband," I said, crossing my arms.

"Here," he said, holding out a stick with meat on it. He stopped in front of me and just held it out, not even looking at me.

"I'm not-"

"I know," he snapped. "Just take the damn food."

I took the stick cautiously. "Thanks."

"Yeah, whatever," he said, turning around.

"Wait," I said, jumping up. I stood on one foot while I grabbed his jacket and held it out.

He took it and turned again.

"Thank you," I said. "For the jacket, carrying me back, now the food."

"Yeah, whatever," he said, climbing down the ladder.

I sat back down and wrapped the blanket around me again. Some actual clothes would be nice but we don't really have any spare clothes. I knew I should have packed extra but it's not like we had any extra to begin with.

Nate opened his mouth but I cut him off.

"Don't even say anything," I said. I ripped the meat in half and tried to give him half.

"You need it," he said, holding his hands up. "I'll get some myself."

"You can't take off your wristband," I said.

"By now, they've probably figured out what's going on," he said. "They won't look at the ones taken off, they'll look at the live ones. So you keep yours on and show that we can survive."

"Nate," I said. But he was already standing up and leaving.

I ate my meat in peace. I drank some water. I crawled over to a corner, wrapped the blanket around me, sang quietly and fell asleep.

I know people came and went but I was completely out until morning. This would be the first morning in five years that I didn't get up and workout. Clarke told me I couldn't put weight on my ankle for at least a day.

"This is so weird," Monty said, climbing up the ladder. He had a pile of clothes in his hands. He walked over to me and dropped them all next to me. "Murphy told me to give these to you."

There were two pairs of pants, two pairs of boots, four shirts, two sweatshirts, three pairs of socks, and a jacket. Where did he get these things from?

"What?" I asked, tilting my head to the side. "Where did he get these?"

"It's Murphy," Monty said. "He kind of scares me so I'm not gonna ask."

I quickly picked out what I wanted. Both pants were too big but one was slightly smaller. I still had to roll them up three times before I could see my feet and I had to use a seatbelt to keep them on my hips. The boots would be a little big but if I wore two pairs of socks, it'd be sort of okay. The shirt actually fit, which was nice. The sweatshirt was big but comfy. The jacket was big and ratty but it was better than nothing.

Monty looked away as Nate helped me change. I couldn't stand on my ankle still so he had to hold me while I put my pants on.

Once I was dressed, I sat back down.

"If you see Murphy," I said to Nate, who was leaving for a bit. "Tell him I wanna thank him."

He rolled his eyes and left.

For a couple hours, I sat there.

Clarke tried to help Jasper but there wasn't much she could do. I took another nap. Murphy brought me more food.

"Why are you being so nice to me?" I asked him this time.

He glanced around and saw that I was alone. Everyone needed a break and they all apparently took it at the same time.

He took a deep breath, looking at the floor. "I like you, okay?" He hurried out before I could say anything.

"Are you kidding me?" I whispered.

I have been dreaming about this moment for six years. It finally happens and I don't say anything. I'm an idiot.

"What did he want?" Nate asked, climbing up the ladder.

"He likes me," I said. "He told me he likes me and I said nothing. I'm an idiot."

For the rest of the day, I did nothing. I slept a lot and watched over Jasper. I tried to help Monty but we didn't get anywhere.

I slept in the corner again. This time, Nate slept next to me.

The next morning, I woke up early. I limped to the ladder and climbed down. I had to step over some people.

Some people slept in tents outside. But there weren't enough tents. The rest slept on the first two levels, mostly the second level.

People were already outside. It was mostly just Bellamy's crew. They were practicing throwing knives and other weapons.

Murphy was there.

I took a deep breath, smoothed my hair back and walked over.

"Good morning," I said with a smile. I stopped near them but far enough away that they wouldn't accidently hit me.

"No," Bellamy said, sighing.

"What?" My smile faded as I looked over at him. He pulled his axe from the tree and walked over to me.

"It's not a good morning," he said, looking down at me. "None of us have slept more than four hours."

"Why?" I asked.

"There are Grounders out there," he said.

I sighed. "I know. But they're not coming for us now. So you can all go take a nap. They only attacked us because we were in their territory. As long as we stay near camp, we're fine."

"We're not fine," he said. "They tried to kill you and your friend, two of our own."

"I'm not saying what they did was right but they were just sending a message. And I'm fine…and Jasper's still alive."

"For now," he said softly.

I clenched my jaw and my fists. Jasper was going to live. He was not going to die on me. I shut my eyes and when I opened them, I let out a breath. I turned to Murphy.

"Can I talk to you?"

"I'm busy," he said. He threw the knife again, hitting the tree but not sticking.

I watched as he picked it up.

"How about if I get the knife to stick, we talk," I offered with a smile.

"Get the axe to stick," Bellamy said, holding it out to me.

I looked over at Murphy first. I then smiled and took the axe. I weighted it in my hand for a few seconds before I turned and faced the tree.

"Today," Bellamy said.

I rolled my eyes and threw the axe. It sailed end over end and embedded itself into the tree a few yards away. I walked over and pulled the axe out. I handed it to Bellamy and then looked at Murphy.

"Time to talk?" I asked with a smile.

He glanced over at Bellamy before sighing. He walked into the woods a little and stopped when we were twenty or so yards away from the others.

"What do you want to talk about?" he asked, looking at me with his arms crossed. He didn't look as mad as before. He was still annoyed but not exactly mad.

"Yesterday," I said. "And the day before. And…pretty much since we've been on Earth." I took a breath. "I've liked you for a while now. And so…I just wanted to know if you were serious about liking me."

Neither of us even breathed for a while.

"You like me?" he asked slowly.

I swallowed and then nodded.

He stepped closer with a smile. He put his hands on my waist and pulled me closer to him. My hands came up to rest on his shoulders as I went up on my tiptoes a little. He leaned down and our lips met.

After six years, I was finally kissing my crush.


	11. The Truth

I pulled back with a smile. He looked down at me and he was actually smiling. There was a sparkle in his blue eyes.

He then pulled me even closer, looping his arms completely around my waist, and kissed me again. We just made out for a few minutes in the middle of the woods. We were just two people who liked each other.

His kiss was softer than I imagined, not that I was complaining. My heart was racing and my palms were sweating but I wouldn't have it any other way.

"Murphy," someone called. Of course someone had to ruin our moment.

We both pulled back and I pouted. "No."

He shrugged with a smirk. "I'd love to stay but someone needs me."

"What if I said I needed you?" I asked, looking up at him innocently. I pouted my lips and batted my eyelashes at him.

He groaned when the person called for him again.

"I'll be right back. Wait here," he said. He smirked. "We can finish what we started."

I bit my lip and looked up at him, slowly nodding. I couldn't help the smile on my face.

He nodded and jogged back to the others. I took a few seconds to spin in a circle, smiling.

I couldn't believe what just happened. I wanted nothing more than to run to Tabs and tell her everything. But I couldn't. She was in space and I was on Earth. I would do anything it takes to get her and my family down here. I was going to prove that Earth was safe. And if it wasn't, I would make it safe.

I glanced over at Murphy and saw he was talking to Bellamy. Bellamy talked to the group and I saw Nate was talking. He sent me a smile as Murphy nodded. He then turned and jogged back over.

"Let's go for a walk," he said with a smile.

I nodded, took his hand and let him lead me farther away from camp.

We didn't stop walking until we were outside a small cave. At first you couldn't see the cave. It just looked like a big rock covered in moss and leaves. When you got closer, you could see the entrance. It was a small cave with a small rock bed-like thing in it.

"After you," he said with a little gesture, stepping back so that I could go in first.

I smiled and ducked inside. I stopped just inside the doorway, unsure of myself now. I turned, watching Murphy walk in.

He stepped up in front of me and slowly reached out, grabbing my hips. He pulled me closer and leaned down with a small smile on his face. He pressed his lips to mine. I reached up and wrapped my arms around his neck, pulling myself just a little closer.

Again, his lips were so soft, his kiss so gentle. My palms were sweating and my hands were shaking a little as I brought my hands down a little and pushed off his jacket. It hit the floor with a thud.

That sparked Murphy's rough side. He kissed me deeper, pushing his tongue past my lips. He started slowly walking us backwards until my back hit the cave wall next to the bed-like structure. His hands went up under my shirt and roamed my stomach.

My shirt was over my head and on the ground in seconds. His shirt was next. I ran my hands over his fairly muscular chest.

But when he reached my belt, I knew I had to stop him.

"Wait," I said, pulling back a little and putting my hands firmly on his chest.

"What?" he asked, looking down at me, his hands still on my belt.

"I…um." I licked my lips. "I have to tell you something."

"What is it?" he asked. His hands traveled up and rested on my arms. "What's wrong?" He looked concerned, the sparkle in his eyes gone.

I pulled away and sat on the rocks. I pulled my knees to my chest and rested my head on them.

"I was raped," I said softly, looking at my shoes. "I loved going to the lab with my father. I forgot something and he let me go back alone. A guard came and…no matter how much I tried to fight back…he was stronger than me. He raped me and my father walked in. He was winning for a while but then…the guard got the upper hand. I was finally able to fight back seconds before other guards came. I tried to tell them but no one would listen. They took me to medical first but I escaped and watched as they floated my father without a trial, without a thought and without my mother." I paused and sniffled, shifting slightly. It was colder in the cave so I pulled my legs closer to my body, hoping for warmth.

"I was put in solitary right away because I was too unstable. I was too unpredictable for a roommate or free time. The next few weeks, it was because I was pregnant. After Peyton was born, they stopped giving me excuses. I was just in solitary for five years. They figured I was in solitary, there was no use for birth control, so I never got any. So even though I like you and actually want to have sex with you, I can't. And I know teenage guys want it and I know there are girls in camp that would love to give it to you. So." I took a deep breath. "Sorry for wasting your time. You can go back to camp; I can find my own way back."

I rested my forehead on my knees and closed my eyes. I didn't want to watch him go, afraid I would start to cry. What girl wouldn't? I've had a crush on this guy for six years and I can't be with him because someone decided to rape me.

I didn't hear a lot of movement. Why wasn't he leaving?

I lifted my head and saw him grabbing his jacket. I quickly put my head back down as the tears started to come.

But instead of leaving, he draped his jacket over my shoulders. I looked up sharply and saw that he was standing right in front of me.

"What are you doing?" I asked sharply. He was supposed to be leaving. Sticking around is only gonna hurt me more.

He looked in my eyes as he spoke, his alluring blue eyes boring into mine. "When I was 12, I had a crush on you. I was gonna talk to you but you were arrested. When I saw you in class, my palms started sweating and my heart skipped a beat. I still have a crush on you. It's why I made sure to sit by you, why I made sure I was the one rescuing you, why I brought you the clothes and the food." He licked his lips. "I wanted you to like me too. And now you're telling me to leave after you told you liked me back. I won't leave you. You make me want to be good and I'm not gonna leave that."

I swallowed.

"We don't have to have sex," he said, shaking his head and taking my hands. "We don't even have to kiss if you don't want to. I just want to be with you. Please."

I smiled a little and put my legs down, keeping our hands together. I looked up at him and tilted my head to the side.

"I kind of liked the kissing," I said.

He smiled, the sparkle in his eyes back, and leaned down, kissing me deeply. It wasn't long before he was lying me down and leaning over me. He reached for my belt again but I stopped him, pulling back with furrowed eyebrows.

"Trust me," he said softly.

I nodded slowly. He sat me up and took the jacket from behind my back. He laid it under my bottom and pulled my pants down. He kissed me slowly before kissing his way down my body.


	12. Making Weapons

I was panting with a smile on my face as he kissed his way back up my body. He kissed me deeply, tasting sweeter than before, and I wondered if that was what I tasted like.

"I've never done that before," I breathed, looking up at him. I brushed his hair out of his face, holding his cheeks.

"Me neither," he said with a smirk.

"You sure?" I asked with a laugh. It felt like he'd done that many times before.

"I'm sure," he said, leaning down to kiss me again.

I sat up, pushing him up as well. He stood in front of me while I sat on the rocks. I gave him a smirk as I reached for his pants.

"Let me try something else I've never done," I said.

His hands stopped mine though and he sighed. I looked up at him.

"I'd love to," he said. He squeezed his eyes shut and shook his head. "Trust me, I would." He opened them again and looked at me. "But I'm on duty soon."

I pouted but stood up. We quickly put on our clothing in silence. He took my hand and led me back to camp. We grabbed some nuts and berries to eat on the way back. When we were at the edge of camp, he turned to me.

"I'll come find you in three or four hours," he said. He smiled. "We can talk some more."

I laughed and nodded. I reached up and kissed his cheek. I was about to turn but he grabbed my arm and pulled me back to kiss me on the lips.

He smirked and headed off toward where Bellamy was.

I rolled my eyes and headed back to camp to check on Jasper. I climbed the ladder and found Monty and Octavia were there. Monty was still working on the wristbands and Octavia was sleeping in the corner. I knew she'd been up with Jasper most of the night.

"How's it going?" I asked, sitting across from Monty.

He just gave me a look.

"That bad?" I asked with a grimace.

He just looked back at the dead wristband and threw it down. "They die the second we take them off. I've been trying to rewire it to turn it back on but nothing."

"It's okay," I said, putting my hand on his arm. "You'll figure it out. I know you will. But why don't you take a little break?"

"Not now," he said, heading toward the ladder. "I've got to figure this out." He climbed down.

I sighed and ran a damp cloth over Jasper's forehead. He was still warm. That was a good thing, it means he's still fighting. But how much fight does he have left in him?

I walked over to Octavia and knelt down. I pulled the blanket over her again. I headed for the ladder, leaving the two to sleep.

I walked out of the dropship and behind it. The panther meat had been eaten already, even some of the organs were already gone. But no one disposed of the pelt or the bones. They were just sitting behind the dropship, probably not a good idea.

I grabbed the rib cage and walked over to where a fire had been burning last night. It was fairly warm out so no one tended to the fire during the day.

I sat down on a log and broke off the first bone of the rib cage. The ribs were already fairly pointy, I just needed to sharpen it a bit. So I sharpened it against a rock next to me and wrapped the base in part of a seatbelt.

There was my weapon, a cross between a knife and a sword. It wouldn't puncture the side of the dropship but it should work well enough on a Grounder. My one test though was to see if I could hit the tree and make it stick.

The tree filled with my weapons as I made them. If they stuck, I left them there. If they didn't, I sharpened them again until they stuck.

I continued this for an hour before Octavia joined me.

"What are you doing?" she asked, sitting next to me.

"Making weapons," I said. "I want to be ready next time I see them."

She sighed. "You killed some," she said, furrowing her eyebrows. "I think you're good."

"Not if they come here," I said. "Not if they bring more warriors."

She sighed and didn't say anything for a while. I continued to sharpen the weapon I was working on.

"Jasper's not doing any better," she said softly. She glanced up at the dropship. "I think he's dying."

I continued sharpening, a little harder now. "He took a spear to the chest and was still alive. He was dragged through miles of woods and was still alive. He was strung up as bait and was still alive. And he's gonna die here?" I finally looked up at her, pausing. "Not gonna happen. Clarke will figure something out or I will. He's not gonna die."

"He hasn't woken up yet," she sighed. I could hear that she was close to tears.

They got close really fast. That usually happens when someone saves your life. She just wants him to stay alive. And he only went over there first to impress her. If he hadn't gone, it would have been me or Finn.

"He will," I said. I put my hand on her knee. "I promise that I won't stop until he wakes up."

We sat in silence for a few minutes.

"O," Bellamy called from the other side of camp.

"Big brother wants you," I said with a look.

She sighed and stood up. "I'll see you later."

I continued making weapons.

Nate was the next person to sit next to me. I immediately stopped working.

I looked over at him with a big smile. "I have something amazing to tell you."

"You got food," he offered.

"No," I said, my smile fading slightly. But I perked up a few seconds later. "I kissed Murphy. Or he kissed me," I said, pausing and furrowing my eyebrows. "Whatever. It doesn't matter. There was kissing."

"That's why he wanted to switch?"

"Switch?"

"He was supposed to go out looking for Trina and Pascal this morning. He switched with me."

"You went out in the woods?" I gasped. "Nathan."

"I was careful," he said, rolling his eyes. "And I'm back…perfectly fine."

"They weren't taken, were they?" I asked hesitantly.

"I don't know." He changed the subject. "What were you and Murphy doing together?"

"I told him," I said. "We were going to have sex and you know I can't have sex." I could tell from his face he did not want to hear this. "So I told him and I said I would be fine if he just left. And he didn't. Instead we kissed and…" I leaned closer and smirked a little. "I orgasamed."

"Cordelia," he gasped, leaning away from me. "I don't want to hear that."

I laughed. "Too late."

He groaned and shook his head. He changed the subject again. "What are you doing?"

"Making weapons," I said. I held up the one I was working on. "It's one of the rib bones. If I sharpen it enough, it's like a cross between a knife and a sword. It's short enough and strong enough that I can still throw it at the tree." I motioned over to the tree.

"Nice," he said. He grabbed one and started working on that one.

We sat in silence for an hour, just sharpening the blades. He would give me a done one and I'd wrap it in a seatbelt before throwing it at the tree. We had almost all 26 ribs done before Murphy came back.

"These yours?" he asked. He was standing next to the tree, looking at all the weapons.

"Yep," I said with a smile.

"Need some help?"

"Actually no," I said. "We only have two left."

"Actually yes," Nate said, standing up. "I've got to go."

He didn't even give an excuse. He just wanted to get away from us.

He handed Murphy the weapon he'd been working on. They exchanged a look before Murphy came and sat down next to me.

"Did you find them?" I asked. I didn't look up from my weapon.

"No," he said. "But we'll find them tomorrow."

I sighed and wrapped a seatbelt around the base. I threw it at tree and it stuck.

After another minute or so, he handed me the sharpened weapon. I wrapped it and threw it. I Stood up and started pulling all of them from the tree.

"Do you want to stay in my tent tonight?" Murphy asked, stepping up behind me.

I turned and pretended to think. Then I smiled. "I'd love to."

The rest of the night was devoted to finding a home for the weapons, checking on Jasper and Monty and Octavia and Clarke and Finn and even Bellamy. That one was interesting since he had company. I left right away.

And then I was in Murphy's tent. I was stripped down to my bra and underwear. We just cuddled. I wrapped my arms around him and snuggled into his back.

"This is gonna sound weird," I whispered.

"What is it?" he asked after a breathy laugh.

"Basically ever since I was born, I've needed a song to fall asleep. When I was locked up, I would sing it every night before I fell asleep. I can't really sleep without it."

He turned to face me and whispered, "sing it."

I sighed, took a breath and sang. I watched his face as I sang and there was never a look of mocking or annoyance.

"My precious one, my darling one; don't let your lashes weep. My cherished one, my weary one; it's time to go to sleep."

I continued to sing quietly. He took my hand and held it in his.

He smiled when I was finished. "That was beautiful," he murmured. "You're beautiful."

I blushed but smiled. I leaned in and kissed him. "Goodnight," he said, kissing me one more time. He turned back over and I snuggled into his back again. I fell asleep quickly.


	13. The Hunting Party

"Murphy," a voice said. The tent flap was lifted and light shown in.

"Out," I snapped, pointing toward the flap.

"Just get out here," the voice said. It was Bellamy. The flap was closed again.

I groaned as Murphy sat up.

"You can't stay?" I asked, squinting up at him.

"He will come back," he said, throwing on a t-shirt. He grabbed his pants and slowly began putting them on. He tied his shoes and grabbed his jacket. He turned back to me.

I was pouting up at him. He smiled and leaned down to kiss me. "Come find me when you're ready." He kissed me one more time before leaving.

I laid in bed for another half an hour before I stood up. I quickly got dressed and threw my hair in a ponytail. I would need to find a place to wash my hair soon. It was getting pretty disgusting.

I put my screw in my hair and slid a weapon into my boot.

I found Bellamy and Murphy throwing weapons off behind the dropship. Three other guys were with them. I walked over and heard the end of their conversation.

"We'll keep an eye out for them when we go hunting later," Bellamy said.

"Ooh," I said with a smile, stopping behind him. "Count me in."

"No," Murphy and Bellamy said at the same time.

I gasped. "Why not?" I noticed the other three left quickly. "I can hit that tree every time. I can track and I'm a whole lot better than them. I'm going to go whether it's with you or by myself so you might as well let me come."

Bellamy sighed and I smiled. "You can come." He turned to Murphy. "I need you to stay here. If the Grounders are circling, we can't leave this place unprotected."

I was going to try to argue but decided against it. I just barely convinced him to let me go.

"Fine. Somebody better tell goggle boy to keep it shut," Murphy said.

I sucked in a breath and turned to look at him. "If…goggle boy…isn't here when I get back," I said, glaring at him. "You shouldn't be either." I then turned and followed Bellamy.

"Trouble in paradise?"

"Shut up," I snapped, walking faster past him. I went to the dropship and climbed the ladder to check on Jasper.

Clarke was already there, looking over Jasper. But there wasn't much she could do without medicine.

Monty was trying to get the wristbands to work. He'd been trying for basically three days straight.

"The Grounders cauterized the wound," Clarke said. "Saved his life."

"Saved his life so they could string him up for live bait. Garden of Eden this ain't," Finn said.

"This is infected. He could be septic. Any progress on using the wristbands to contact the Ark? Monty?"

"That would be a firm no." I felt bad for Monty. He was beating himself up because he couldn't help his best friend.

"My mother would know what to do," Clarke whispered. She was right. Her mother knew like everything about medicine.

"How's he doing?" Wells asked, kneeling next to Clarke.

"How does it look like he's doing, Wells?"

Now I felt bad for Wells. He was just trying to help.

"Right," Clarke said, annoyed. "You want to help? Hold him down."

"I'm not gonna like this, am I?" I asked, looking over at them. I knelt across Jasper from her, ready to help in any way I could.

Jasper was screaming as Clarke cut away part of his skin. I held his shoulders, keeping his head on my lap.

"Shh," I whispered. Tears were coming to my eyes but I blinked them away. "You're gonna be okay."

Octavia ran in not long after we started.

"Stop it! You're killing him," she said, kneeling next to his head.

"She's trying to save his life," I explained.

"She can't," Bellamy said.

"Back off," I snapped, looking up at him.

"We didn't drag him through miles of woods just to let him die," Clarke said.

"Kid's a goner. If you can't see that, you're deluded. He's making people crazy."

"Sorry if Jasper's an inconvenience to you, but this isn't the Ark," I snapped, looking down at him. "Down here, every life matters."

"Take a look at him," Bellamy said. I realized he wasn't talking to me. "He's a lost cause."

I don't know why I wanted him to live so badly. Maybe going through what we went through brings people closer together even if one was unconscious the whole time.

"Octavia," Clarke said. She looked over at her. Octavia seemed more broken up than even Monty. "I've spent my whole life watching my mother heal people. If I say there's hope, there's hope."

"This isn't about hope, it's about guts," Bellamy said. "You don't have the guts to make the hard choices. I do. He's been like this for three days. If he's not better by tomorrow, I'll kill him myself." He turned to leave but paused. "Octavia, let's go."

"I'm staying here," she said, stroking Jasper's cheek.

"Cory, we're leaving," he said. He left.

"Power-hungry, self-serving jackass. He doesn't care about anyone but himself. No offense," he added when he realized Octavia was his sister.

"Yeah. Bellamy is all that. But he also happens to be right," Finn said.

I sighed and stood up. "I'll see you guys later."

I quickly climbed down and headed to Murphy's tent. I grabbed two more weapons and stuck them in my pockets.

I found the others and waited, ready to go.

"We'll head this way," Bellamy said. "If we get split up...just don't go anywhere alone. And get back here before dark."

We headed off. There were four guys, Bellamy, Atom, and two I didn't know. There was one other girl too but I didn't know her.

We walked in silence, watching for a sign of…anything really. We walked for a while.

I found hoof prints from a boar. I knelt down and pointed them out. They were fairly fresh.

"This way," I said, pointing the way the prints lead. I glanced up and saw Bellamy's reaction. "Trust me."

I stood up and started that way, not caring if they followed. I followed the prints for about thirty minutes before I heard something. It was a snort, like from a pig.

I looked to the right and saw it. I gestured to everyone else.

We all started creeping towards it with our weapons drawn.

"Sh," Bellamy said, glancing over at us. "She's mine."

I rolled my eyes. Of course he's gonna call it even though I was the one who found it. But I let him have it. His ego needed it.

But a twig snapped behind us and Bellamy threw his axe behind us, hitting a tree right next to a scared girl. Bellamy, Atom and I walked over to her while the other three chased after the boar.

"Who the hell are you?" Bellamy asked, pulling the axe from the tree and looking down at her.

"Charlotte," she said.

"I almost killed you. Why aren't you back at camp?"

"Well, what with that guy who was dying, I just…I couldn't listen anymore."

I sighed. Why was it always Jasper they were mad at? They should be praising him for surviving.

"There's Grounders out here. It's too dangerous for a little girl," Atom said.

"I'm not little," she snapped. I felt for her. She was probably always being called little down here. She was probably 12 or 13, one of the youngest here.

"Okay, then…" Bellamy pulled out a knife and handed it to her. "But you can't hunt without a weapon. Ever killed something before?" She shook her head. "Who knows? Maybe you're good at it."

He turned and started walking to where the rest of the group went.

"That was cute," I said, stepping up beside him. "But it would have been cuter if you made her go back to camp." I looked up at him. "She doesn't know how to hunt."

"And neither did I until a couple days ago," he replied.

I rolled my eyes and we continued on our journey. We didn't find anything else for a long while. Everything seemed to be gone or hiding.

It was nearing dark when we ran into another boar. More like it ran into us actually.

We were coming up on a hill when I heard twigs breaking up ahead. It was quickly, like something running.

I was about to run up the hill when the boar ran down it. It ran right toward us, barely noticing us.

I quickly threw my weapon, watching it embed in the back, hitting the heart. It was so easy though.

I drew another weapon and looked up the hill. It had been running from something. What was coming over this hill next?

It wasn't what I thought it would be. It wasn't an animal.

It was orange fog.

"Run," I yelled, turning. The others started running right away, forgetting all about the boar.


	14. Acid Fog

"Come on," Bellamy yelled, veering to the right. "There are caves this way."

He grabs Charlotte's hand and pulls her along. I realized we were near the cave Murphy had taken me to.

I ran faster. Before I knew it, I was in front of them.

And then I was on the ground. My bad ankle had given out. I fell with a cry. I started to get up right away.

We had no idea what this fog was. But fog isn't supposed to be orange. And it isn't supposed to move that quickly. It moved just a little bit faster than us, catching up too quickly.

"Come on," Bellamy groaned, grabbing my waist as I pushed myself up again. He was quick about it all since the acid burned if you touched it. He lifted me off the ground and pulled me up the hill. I wrapped my arms around his neck so he wouldn't drop me.

Charlotte almost ran past the cave but Bellamy grabbed her arm. He pushed her in and practically threw me in.

I landed on my good foot and hopped inside. I dropped to the ground and leaned back against the wall, panting.

Why didn't Bellamy just leave me? He only ever really cared about himself. And Octavia. And now kind of Charlotte. Maybe I judged him too harshly.

"Where are the others?" I asked when he came back in, coughing a little.

"There are other caves," he said, sitting down near me. "They must have found a different one."

"What was that?"

"No idea."

"How long you think we're gonna be here?" I asked, leaning my head back against the wall. My ankle was throbbing.

"Might want to get comfortable," he said.

I sighed and reached down. I pulled my boot off and rolled my pants up. My ankle was tender. It wasn't broken; it was just sprained…again.

For a few minutes, the three of us just sat there. No one knew what to say.

"Does anyone have any food?" Charlotte asked softly.

I sighed and reached into my bag. I'd grabbed it right before we left, knowing it'd come in handy sometime.

I had another weapon, my jacket while my sweatshirt was tied around my waist, a small container made from the dropship full of nuts and berries, a canteen of water. I didn't trust anyone else to pack what we needed. And I didn't trust the Grounders not to take me again. I wanted to be prepared.

"Here," I said, grabbing out the container. I passed it up to her.

"Thanks," she said softly. She took some and passed it back to me.

I offered it to Bellamy next but he didn't want any. I shrugged and ate some for myself. They were actually pretty good and pretty filling.

"Here," I said, pulling out the water after a little while. I gave it to Charlotte first. She drank some quickly. I then made Bellamy drink some even though he didn't want to. I drank last, making sure to save some for later.

I took my jacket out and put it in a pile next to Charlotte. We both exchanged a smile before she laid down. Bellamy put his jacket over her as a blanket.

I didn't think I would be sleeping. There was no way I was going to sing in front of Bellamy. And anyway, I want to be out there the second the fog is gone. I have to make sure the others are okay. Did the fog go all the way to camp?

"Do you remember me?" Bellamy finally asked after a half an hour of silence. I'm pretty sure Charlotte was already asleep.

I looked up at him with furrowed eyebrows. I honestly didn't think he remembered me. I simply nodded.

"Why didn't you say anything?"

I shrugged. "I didn't know if you remembered me."

"Nearly a year of visiting every day," he said. "I think anyone would remember."

I laughed a little. "Life was so much simpler than," I sighed. My smile faded. "What happened?"

"What?"

"Why didn't you come back?"

He sighed and looked down. He swirled the dirt around with his finger. "I did something stupid."

"But you didn't get floated," I said. "So it wasn't that stupid."

"I took Octavia to a party," he sighed. "We got caught. She went to lockup and I became a janitor."

"Oh," I breathed. "That was pretty stupid," I said with a smile.

Bellamy laughed.

"But it all worked out. You and Octavia are on Earth together-"

"And she hates me."

"She doesn't hate you," I said. "But it would help if you'd be a little nicer to her friend…like Jasper."

"Why do you guys care so much?" he asked with a sigh.

"Are you kidding? Octavia cares because first he saved her life and then he went first to try to impress her. She feels like it's her fault and the only thing that will change that is him waking up. It was Clarke's idea to go to Mount Weather. She feels like it's her fault Jasper was even put in that position. And she can't save him like she thinks her mother would be able to. Monty is losing his best friend and there's nothing he can do. He's trying with the wristbands but nothing's working right now. It was supposed to be Finn going first. It was supposed to be Finn getting hurt but Jasper stepped forward instead. He feels guilty now too. Even Wells feels guilty because he couldn't go."

We sat in silence for a little while. I just looked at the wall across from me, rather than Bellamy to the right.

"And you?"

I looked over at him sharply. "We were dragged through miles of woods and strung up. We were both injured and I didn't know if we'd survive. I was knocked unconscious twice but both time I woke up, Jasper was there. Just knowing he was there and knowing I had to do something, helped me fight back and ignore the pain. I didn't give up…because of him. And I'm not giving up on him now. Clarke will find something and he will wake up."

I looked back down again.

"Why do you have so much faith in Clarke?"

I shrugged. "Who else am I gonna have faith in?"

"Me," he said simply, looking down again.

"You strong-armed your way into power," I said. "You got idiots to take off their wristbands for food. People are gonna die up there and they're gonna die down here. We're not enough to take on Grounders."

"You killed three," he said, looking up at me.

I swallowed. "And there were four of them," I said simply.

I slipped my sweatshirt on, pulled the screws from my hair to put them in my bag, and pulled my ponytail out. I fluffed my hair and pulled my hood up. I leaned against the wall again and stared at the wall.

Bellamy laid down and turned away from me.

We were only silent a half an hour before Charlotte was screaming.

"Charlotte," I gasped. I reached up and shook her shoulder. Bellamy was up again, shaking her knees.

"I'm sorry," she whispered, looking between the two of us.

I glanced back at Bellamy before I looked over at her again. "Does it happen often?"

"What are you scared of?" Bellamy asked. "You know what? It doesn't matter. The only thing that matters is what you do about it."

"But…I'm asleep," she said, looking over at him and pouting a little.

"Fears are fears. Slay your demons when you're awake, they won't be there to get you when you sleep."

"Yeah, but…how?"

"You can't afford to be weak. Down here, weakness is death, fear is death. Let me see that knife I gave you." She handed him her knife and he gripped it tight. I furrowed my eyebrows. Where was he going with this? "Now, when you feel afraid, you hold tight to that knife and you say, 'screw you. I'm not afraid.'"

He handed it back to her and she did the same. "Screw you. I'm not afraid. Screw you. I'm not afraid." The second time was stronger.

"Slay your demons, kid. Then you'll be able to sleep."

He laid back down but I could tell she still didn't want to go to sleep. You can't just tell yourself you're not afraid. She was still scared.

I leaned back against the wall again and I sang.

"My precious one, my tiny one, lay down your pretty head. My dearest one my sleepy one, it's time to go to bed," I sang softly.

Bellamy stiffened but didn't say anything. After the song, I glanced back and saw Charlotte was asleep.

I laid my head back and fell asleep quickly.


	15. Rough Day

I blinked my eyes open. I was in the cave still, lying down now. On Bellamy's chest.

I jerked up and scooted back a little. He sat up quickly. I wasn't sure if he was already awake or if I woke him up.

"Sorry," I said quietly.

"Fog's probably gone," he said, standing up, not looking at me.

"Charlotte," I whispered, shaking her shoulder. She sat up, yawning. "Time to go."

I grabbed my bag and put my jacket back in. I made sure my water and food were in there as well. Bellamy shrugged on his jacket and led the way outside.

I had to limp again, my ankle hurting now. But it was better than last time. I only needed to take a little bit longer to walk.

"It's all clear," Bellamy said.

We looked around. Where was everyone else?

"Anybody out here?" Bellamy called. "Jones?"

"We're here," he called back.

We turned toward the voice and headed back the way we'd come before. We found the other three walking from a cave of their own. Where was Atom?

"Lost you in the stew. Where'd you go?"

"Made it to a cave down there," Jones said, gesturing off behind them.

"The hell was that?"

"I don't know." The three shrugged. No one knew what that was.

"Where's Atom?" I asked.

Jones shrugs.

"Fan out," Bellamy said. "Look for Atom…and food."

I sighed and pulled out a weapon.

"We'll find him," Bellamy said, grabbing my arm. "He probably just found another cave."

"By himself?" I asked. "The three of us stuck together and the three of them stuck together." I sighed. "I don't know."

"Stay within shouting distance," Bellamy instructed.

It was hard looking for a sign of anyone. In our hurry to get to the caves, we trampled everything and ran every which way. I couldn't find a distinct trail.

An hour or two after we started to look, we found him. Actually Charlotte found him. We heard her scream.

I took off at a run, jumping over a fallen tree. I had to make sure I landed on my good ankle so that I wouldn't collapse. But then I kept running. I found Charlotte only a few seconds after Bellamy.

Atom was a few feet away, not far from our cave. We'd been looking in the wrong place the whole time.

He was on the ground, barely breathing. He was covered in red and bloody sores. He was barely alive.

What the hell was that fog?

"Charlotte," I said, pulling her to me. "Stay here."

I followed Bellamy over to Atom. I knelt on the other side of him.

"Kill me," he whispered, looking up at Bellamy. "Kill me. Kill…me."

My heart broke as I made eye contact with Bellamy. It didn't look like he could do it either.

"I…can't…breathe."

I heard the others come over and Bellamy stood up. I stayed knelt down, I slowly stroked his okay cheek.

"Don't be afraid," Charlotte whispered, slipping Bellamy's knife into his hand.

He looked down at her, then at me, then at Atom. Finally, he looked back at the others.

"Go back to camp," he instructed. They left. "Charlotte, you too." Charlotte slowly walked away too.

Bellamy knelt down again, the knife in his hand. He exchanged a look with me.

"Kill me…ple-ase," Atom choked out.

I glanced up and saw Clarke behind Bellamy.

"I heard screams," she said when Bellamy looked at her too.

"Charlotte found him," he explained. "I sent her back to camp."

Clarke knelt next to me. She looked Atom over and shook her head.

"I'll help," Clarke said, looking up at Bellamy. She took the knife from him.

I took his hand, holding it softly. Clarke stroked his hair as she looked down at him.

"Just bow your head and give your cares to me."

I nodded to Clarke and she pushed the knife into Atom's neck. Bellamy looked between the two of us, in awe.

"Just close your eyes and fall into the sweetest dream, cause in my loving arms," I sang softly. "You're safe as you will ever be so hush my dear and sleep." We all watched as Atom choked on his own blood. His eyes slowly rolled back into his head and I reached over and closed his eyes.

I looked up and saw Bellamy was watching me.

I gave him a small smile and stood up. I stepped over to Bellamy and put my hand on his shoulder. He looked up.

"There's nothing you could have done," I said softly.

He nodded and stood up.

"There you are," Finn said, jogging over. Wells wasn't far behind.

"What happened?" Wells asked, looking down at Atom.

"Acid fog," I said simply. I've decided that was what the orange fog was. Acid fog. Somehow being controlled. It made no sense.

"We were lucky," Finn said, looking over at Wells. "Where'd you guys stay?"

"We can talk about that on the way," Clarke said, standing up. "We need to get back to Jasper."

We quickly and wordlessly made a stretcher. Two large sticks and a canvas sheet, from Wells, wrapped around them. It was easy to make and fairly easy to lift Atom on. Wells and Bellamy carried him. Finn and Clarke set a quick pace back to camp. I walked alongside the stretcher.

"Where'd you guys stay?" Wells asked.

"Bellamy, Charlotte and I stayed in a cave not far from here. The other three stayed in another cave." I sighed. "Atom was out here." I saw Bellamy stiffen but he didn't even look back at me.

"We found an old automobile," he said after a minute. "That was fun."

"Why does Clarke seem to hate you?"

He stiffened and focused on just walking. "She blames me for her father being floated."

"Was it your fault?"

I watched him. His jaw clenched. He didn't blink.

"It wasn't," I said softly. "Who's fault was it?"

"It doesn't matter."

"She's hating you for no reason," I said. "It does matter."

"You and Finn need to butt out," he snapped.

I raised my eyebrows but kept my mouth shut. I walked a little faster and passed them.

For the next hour or two, we all walked in relative silence. It was getting dark so we sped up a little, hoping to get there before it was completely dark. The moonlight helped but it was difficult to walk sometimes.

When we finally walked into camp, we all jumped into action. Clarke and Finn went to work on Jasper. Bellamy and Wells put Atom down. Wells was going to dig the grave right away.

"It's about time. They're gonna kill Jasper. Did you get the medicine?" Octavia said, coming out of the dropship.

"Yeah. I…I got it. Come on. Let's go talk," Clarke said, trying to drag Octavia back to the dropship.

She ignored Clarke though and pushed past her. She started walking over to Bellamy.

"Octavia, just stay there. Please, stay back."

I watched as she looked up at him.

"Why?" she asked, trying to push past him. "Stop."

She pushed past him and knelt next to Atom's body. She slowly pulled the jacket that we'd put over his face off. She gasped.

"Atom," she cried.

"There's nothing I could do," Bellamy said, repeating what I had said earlier.

"Don't," she snapped, crying.

"Octavia," I whispered. "I'm sorry."

She looked at me and shook her head. She covered his face with the jacket again.

"O...O...please," Bellamy tried. He tried to get her to talk but she ignored him.

"Don't," she snapped.

"Octavia," I tried to call.

Murphy walked over as Octavia stormed off.

"Lose anyone here?" Bellamy asked.

"No," he said. He glanced over at me, looking me over for injuries. I didn't think he'd really want me all over him while he talks to Bellamy. So I waited until they were done to really talk to him.

"Jasper?" I asked.

"Still breathing," he said, looking at Bellamy instead. "Barely. I tried to take him out." I clenched my fists. I warned him about that. "But your psycho little sister…"

Bellamy shoved Murphy back a little at that. He then grabbed him by his t-shirt and that's when I stepped in.

"Hey, hey," I said, stepping closer. I hoped that would be enough but obviously it wasn't.

"My what?" Bellamy practically yelled. "My what?"

"Your little sister," Murphy said flatly.

I pushed Bellamy's arms down and stepped between the two. "Knock it off."

"Yeah, that's right," he said. He just talked around me. "My little sister. Got anything else you want to say about her?"

I turned and gave Murphy a look. "Nothing. Sorry."

"Get him out of here," Bellamy said after a few seconds. He was talking to Jones about Atom.

I grabbed his wrist before he could leave. "I know what you've been through today…but this is not okay." I let go of his wrist and turned toward the dropship.

Murphy tried to stop me.

"Not now," I said through gritted teeth. I walked off toward the dropship.


	16. He's Gonna Be Okay

"Where have you been?" I asked, leaning back and looking up at Nate.

I've been sitting in the dropship basically since we got back. Part of me wants to be there when Jasper woke up. Another part of me just wanted to avoid Murphy.

Clarke had given Jasper the medicine. She'd boiled water, put the seaweed in, and given it to Jasper. He seemed to be doing better already.

Octavia, Monty and Finn were up here too. They were now passing around a bottle Finn had found.

"Well someone left me without saying a word," he said, sitting next to me.

I let out a laugh. "Sorry but I barely convinced Bellamy to let me come. I didn't want to risk it."

He shook his head with a smile. "How is he?"

I sighed and looked over at Jasper. "Clarke thinks the medicine will work. We won't know for sure until he wakes up."

"He'll wake up soon," Monty said, looking over at me.

"I know," I said with a smile and a nod.

"Smooth," Finn said as Monty coughed from the alcohol.

He passed it to Octavia who swallowed some quickly. "Disgusting," she said with a face. "Love it." She passed it to Nate.

"Can I, uh, get a hit of that?"

We all looked over sharply. Jasper was awake. He was lifting his head with a lopsided smile.

"Jasper!" Monty and I exclaimed.

"Let's start with the soft stuff," Finn said, grabbing some water. He helped Jasper drink some. "Welcome back, buddy."

Monty and Jasper locked hands with smiles. They were so cute. Monty couldn't help but let out a relieved laugh.

"Was that a dream or did I get speared?" Jasper asked, looking around at us.

"You'll have a very impressive scar to prove it," Clarke said.

"My savior," he said with a huge smile.

"Thank you for not dying." She paused to laugh a little. "I don't think I could've taken that today."

"I'll try not to die tomorrow, too, if that's cool," he said. He let his head fall back again and looked around again. He saw Octavia and she patted his arm. "Oh, hello."

We were all laughing.

"You're here too," he said suddenly, looking up at me now.

"Of course I'm here," I said with a smile. "Where else would I be?"

"You were with me?" It was more of a question than a statement. He probably didn't remember much.

I nodded. "Yeah," I breathed.

"You saved me?"

"I wish," I said, shaking my head with a smile. "Sadly, we were both strung up."

"Strung up?" he asked, furrowing his eyebrows.

I exchanged a look with Monty, who was across from me, before looking back at Jasper. "We'll tell you all about it when you are away from death's door." He laughed a little. "You rest up," I said, patting his arm. "We'll here when you wake up."

He nodded a little, his eyes already drooping.

"I'm glad you survived," I whispered.

"Me too," he said with a little smile. He was asleep seconds later.

"He's gonna be okay, right?" Octavia asked, looking over at Clarke.

She nodded. "The worst is over."

"Good," Monty said with a smile. He situated himself so he was comfortable. I'm pretty sure he's gonna stay for a long while.

Octavia got comfortable too. She would stay for a while at least.

I sighed and stood up. I needed to go have a talk with Murphy.

I found him in his tent. He was pulling off his jacket. He jumped a little when he saw me.

"Hi," he said softly, looking at the ground.

"Jasper's gonna be fine," I said simply. "In case you wanted to know."

"Cory," he started, taking a step closer.

"I was chased through the woods by acid fog. Then I was trapped in a cave with a girl with nightmares and Bellamy Blake. This morning, I was with Atom when he died. He'd been burned by the acid, his arms and face were covered in awful burns. He was begging us to kill him."

I blinked away tears, trying hard not to let them fall. I didn't want to seem weak in front of him.

"It could have been me," I whispered. And then the tears were falling. I covered my face and continued to try, and fail, to hold them back.

"You're okay," he whispered, wrapping his arms around me. I let myself lean into his chest.

"I fell," I said into his shirt. "I was running and my stupid ankle gave out. Bellamy grabbed me and carried me to the cave. If he hadn't had done that, I would have been dead, same as Atom."

"It's okay," he whispered. He rubbed my back. "You're okay."

I pulled back and looked up at him.

"All I wanted when I came back, was to see Jasper wake up and to be with you. But you tried to kill one of my friends. How can I just ignore that?"

He didn't say anything. He just pulled me back to him.

"Why do you do this?" I asked. My voice shook a little from the tears.

"Do what?" he asked, pulling back to look down at me.

"This," I said. "You are so kind and caring when it's just us but…as soon as anyone comes in, you turn into an asshole. If I had been here, you wouldn't have even thought about killing Jasper."

"Sorry that's just who I am," he snapped. "And I'm not gonna change."

"Well I don't like it," I snapped, tears forgotten.

"You don't have to."

"God," I groaned. "Why do I even try?"

I turned and stormed out of the tent. I sat against the side of the dropship, outside. I wanted to be alone. I pulled my hood up and leaned back against the dropship.

I looked up at the sky. I couldn't wait until they came down. Tabs would be all over Murphy and I, if there still was a Murphy and I. Mom would know exactly what to do all the time, exactly what to eat, exactly what to drink. Peyton would be smiling and laughing and running through the trees. It would be perfect. I would have my friends and family around me. We would all be happy.

As long as there aren't any Grounders.

I sang quietly and fell asleep against the dropship. It wasn't super comfortable but it would work. I didn't want to be near anyone else.

But I was awake not even two hours later. All I could see was Atom. I could see the burns, his begging, Clarke killing him. And then suddenly it was all mine: the burns, my begging, Clarke killing me.

I was panting as I ran my hands through my hair, trying to calm my racing heart. At least I wasn't one of those who scream when they wake up.

I sighed and stood up. I opened the tent and walked in. He was already awake, looking at me.

"I'm still mad at you," I said. I marched over and sat on the foot of the bed. I pulled off my shoes and climbed into bed.

He didn't move so I just wrapped my arm around his waist, pulling myself into his back.

I fell asleep quickly after. There weren't any more dreams.


	17. Paradise

I woke up first. I was putting on my boots as Murphy woke up.

"What are you doing?" he asked. I could tell he was still sleepy.

"I'm going hunting today," I said. "We didn't get any food yesterday or the day before."

"I'm coming," he said, sitting up.

I looked at him. "I can take care of myself."

"I'm coming," he repeated. He pulled on a shirt.

I sighed. "I'm going to check on Jasper first. I'll meet you behind the dropship in 15."

I grabbed my backpack and stormed off toward the dropship. I climbed up and saw that Jasper was awake. Monty and Octavia were both asleep in the corner.

"Hey," I whispered with a smile. "How you feeling?"

"Better," he said with a laugh. "Away from death's door."

I laughed and shook my head.

"What happened?"

I pursed my lips and sat down next to him. I took his hand and squeezed it, thinking about what to say.

"I was on the rope when the spear was thrown. I should have waited a little longer but I just kind of wanted to get it over with. I ran over to check on you and got an arrow to the shoulder." I rubbed my shoulder a little. "They shot at me so I hid behind a tree. I couldn't see them until one was right behind me. He knocked me unconscious for maybe an hour. When I woke, I was thrown over someone's back and you were being dragged. I…uh…used my screw." I pulled one out for show. "I killed the first guy and used his sword to slice another guy's stomach. The next one caught my legs before I could block the sword. He then tried to stab me in the face but I threw up my arm and he stabbed my arm instead."

I showed Jasper that wound. It was healing nicely. I didn't even have to have it wrapped anymore.

"I sliced his throat and an arrow grazed my stomach. I turned to the guy and he shot me in the gut, missing all vital organs." I smiled. "I had dropped the sword, stupid me, so I grabbed the knife out of my arm and threw it at the guy. He was dead. Three of them were dead but there were four of them. He grabbed my ankle, twisting it, and I fell. I was then unconscious for a couple hours. When I woke again, I was tied to a tree and blindfolded. Um…the others came soon after I woke up."

"Like Clarke and Finn?"

I nodded. "And Wells and Nate and Bellamy and Murphy."

"Murphy?"

I nodded. "I've actually got to go. I'm hunting with him." I smiled and stood up.

"He tried to kill me," Jasper said with a gasp.

"I'd like to see him try to kill me," I said with a laugh.

"Be careful," Jasper said. "And thanks…for trying to save me."

I nodded. "I'll be back with food before you know it." I smiled and left.

Murphy was waiting behind the dropship. "Bellamy wants us back before dark."

"I'm not an idiot," I said, rolling my eyes. We weren't going to try to hunt after dark. That just sounds like an accident waiting to happen.

We walked in silence. It wasn't long until I got a rabbit. It was small but it was food.

Murphy carried it and wouldn't listen to me when I said I could.

About an hour into our trip, we stumbled across paradise.

It was a small two tier waterfall surrounded by beautiful trees. There was a little pond at the bottom that led out with a small creek. There was a large, flat rock under the bottom fall.

"Wait," I said when Murphy turned to walk away.

I walked over to a rock on the edge of the pond. I set my backpack down and started pulling off my boots.

I pulled off my sweatshirt and knelt next to the water. I dunked it in and scrubbed a little, wringing it out when I was done. I did the same with my t-shirt and my jeans. I hung all three on a branch in the sun.

"Your turn," I said, looking at Murphy.

He sighed and began pulling off his stuff. I washed his t-shirt, his long sleeve and his pants. I hung those up and turned to him. He'd just been standing there, watching me.

I smiled and took his hand. I pulled him over to the edge where I stepped from rock to rock until I was under the water.

For a few minutes, we just enjoyed the cool water. I scrubbed my hair since water was better than nothing. We splashed each other and washed up.

I walked back over, wringing out my hair. I grabbed a big stick and a seatbelt. I tied a knife to the stick. Now I had a spear for fishing. I made another and handed it to Murphy.

"What-"

"Fishing," I said simply, nodding to the pond. When I was washing clothes, I saw a lot of fish. I was hoping we could get some and bring them back. They were mostly bass, which were pretty nice fish to eat. And they were all huge. I didn't know if that was because of radiation or if they were just all grown. Probably radiation but if nothing else has killed us yet, I think we'll be okay to eat a few fish.

I tried first and missed. Murphy missed too. I tried my hardest not to laugh but I couldn't help it.

"What are you laughing at?" he asked me. "You missed too."

"But I didn't almost fall in," I said with a smile.

For a few more tries, we both laughed when we missed. And then I didn't.

I hit a fish right in the middle and slowly pulled it from the water. I had wide eyes as I looked over at Murphy. He was smiling.

"I got one," I said with a huge smile.

My eyes went even wider when he kissed me. He pulled back quickly and looked at me.

"I'm sorry for trying to kill Jasper," he said softly.

I didn't say anything. He turned back and tried to spear another fish. Of course he failed and couldn't get one.

I couldn't help but laugh again. He smiled and we continued to fish in silence. After about an hour, we'd caught fifteen fish. The pond still had quite a few fish. We decided to continue for a little longer. It wasn't too hard on the body but it was difficult to catch them.

I decided to walk to the other side of the water. The fish were getting smart. They didn't go near us as much and we didn't want to walk too far into the water. I was still slightly afraid a water monster would be in there, just waiting for us to step into the water. I walked around past the waterfall.

I wasn't there long before a twig snapped behind me.

I turned and was knocked to the ground. All I saw was a flash of black. I was lucky I had my spear. It kind of just fell on my spear and killed itself. It all worked out well.

"Cory," Murphy yelled.

I heard splashing as I caught my breath. The thing was pushed off of me and I saw Murphy looking down at me. He quickly pulled me up and wrapped his arms around me.

"I'm okay," I said, pushing him back.

He was panting. He was looking me in the eyes but then his focus shifted to the side of my face. He slowly reached up and stroked my cheek. I flinched when it hurt a little. I reached up as well and found three scratches from my left temple to just below my ear.

"I'm okay," I repeated.

He didn't respond. He just pulled me close again. He just held me for a little while.

"Let's head back," he said, pulling back.

"No," I said, shaking my head. "Our pants aren't gonna be dry yet and I'm not walking back in wet pants."

He sighed and rolled him eyes.

"Let's put the panther in the tree over there," I said, motioning across the water. "We'll put the fish up there and the two of us can climb up to the second tier." I glanced up at the tier.

"Fine," he sighed. He handed me his spear and lifted the panther onto his shoulders. It wasn't too heavy for him, which was a good thing since I don't know how we'd both carry it.

We walked through the water since Murphy had run through it earlier. I don't think there's a monster in this water.

I helped him throw the panther onto a branch and then threw the fish up there as well once they were all attached to a seatbelt.

"Come on," I said with a smile. I moved to the rocks and started climbing up next to the water. It was fairly easy to climb up. I looked down when I was done. "You coming?"

He blinked and quickly climbed up behind me.

Up here, there was another small waterfall. There were a couple of large flat rocks. I laid on one of those. The water up here contained a couple fish but they were smaller ones that I didn't recognize.

"Anyone up there waiting for you?" I asked, looking at the sky. You couldn't see the Ark now but I knew about where it should be.

"No," he said bitterly. "You?"

"My mom," I said. "Peyton…my daughter. My best friend. Maybe her parents. Nate's dad."

"How long you been friends with…Miller?" he asked.

I looked over with a smile. He was looking at the sky.

"You jealous?" He turned sharply but I continued. "We've been friends…forever. He lived across the hall and he used to always be over in my room. Do you have any friends up there?"

"I never had many friends," he said. "And anyone I'd consider a friend is down here."

"Well you've got me," I said, propping myself up on my elbows.

"Just friends?" he asked, raising his eyebrows. He looked to be joking with a smile on his face but when I looked in his eyes, they weren't smiling.

I smiled and pushed myself onto one hip. I looked down at him and leaned over. I kissed him quickly and pulled back.

"No," I said with another smile.

I leaned over again, swinging my leg over him. I put my hands on his chest and just hovered over him. He was smiling but when he realized I was teasing him, he playfully glared and pulled me down to him.


	18. The Catalyst

"Okay," I sighed. "We should really get back."

"Or we could stay," he sighed, pulling me back to him, kissing me.

"We need to get the food back," I said, pushing him back. I stood up and headed for the rocks. Climbing up was easy, climbing down was a little harder.

"Coming down?" I called, looking up when I saw he wasn't following me.

He shrugged with a smirk. "I like the view." He wasn't looking out though. He was looking down. At my chest.

I scoffed and headed over to our clothes. Everything was dry now which was nice. I was completely dressed by the time he came over.

He pouted and leaned down to kiss me. "Why?"

I smiled and shook my head. "We've got to get back."

We put the panther in the canvas sheet I'd brought with, the one Wells found the other day. We put the fish and the rabbit from the way here on top of it and wrapped it up. We tied a seatbelt around both sides. Murphy dragged it along.

It was a relatively flat path back. There weren't too many steep hills and no cliffs or water.

On the way back, I'd killed two more rabbits. I just carried those ones instead of unwrapping the others.

"Where were you?" Nate asked, seeing us first. He was working on the wall.

I held up the rabbits. "Food." I smiled.

"That's it?" He wiggled his eyebrows with a smirk. I was thankful Murphy was a few steps behind me.

I smacked Nate with the rabbits. "No," I said with a smile.

"I'm sorry I asked," he said, making a face. We both laughed.

"Food?" Bellamy asked, looking at Murphy.

"Lots," I said with a smile. "Enough for two or three days."

He called a couple people over and told them to help with the food. They did not look very happy.

For the next two or three hours, I skinned the kill, gutted them, and cut them into pieces.

Murphy and I got in a little food fight at one point. He threw a rabbit skin at me and I threw it back, hitting him in the face. We were both laughing though.

We got a fire going around dark. We cut the kills into smaller pieces and put them on sticks. Everyone picked one: rabbit, fish or panther.

I grabbed fish and started roasting it by the fire.

Someone sat next to me. I turned and saw it was Charlotte.

"Hey," I said with a smile.

"Hi," she said softly.

"Slept okay last night?" I asked, raising an eyebrow.

She shook her head.

"My tent is always open to you," I said with a smile, patting her knee. "I'll even kick Murphy out." We both smiled.

"Cory?" Clarke asked.

"Yeah?" I had to look up since she was still standing.

"How are you feeling?"

"Fine," I said with a shrug. "Clarke, I'm barely injured."

"You reinjured your ankle," she pointed out.

I looked down at it and rolled it a little. "But it's fine now."

She sighed. "Just don't overdo it."

I nodded. She left quickly.

I shrugged and went back to my food. It was ready now. And it tasted delicious. I'd never had food like this.

"Enjoying the food?" Bellamy asked, sitting next to me.

"It's delicious," I said with a nod. I noticed he was eating panther. "Want some?" He just gave me a look. "You're missing out."

"You're like the best hunter we've got," he said. "I want you to start going out every day."

"Perfect," I said with a smile. "That was already the plan."

He rolled his eyes. "But you have to always bring someone with. They don't even have to hunt but they have to go."

"Okay," I said with a nod. "I'll start going out every morning."

"Good," he said, standing up.

"When do you think the wall's gonna be done?" I asked, glancing over at the partially built wall.

He shrugged. "Could be a few days or weeks even. Why?"

"I just think we'll feel a lot safer."

"I thought they weren't coming here."

"I'm not talking about Grounders," I said, shaking my head. "I was kind of, sort of, almost attacked by that panther today. Think about this many people and the dead animals."

"We'll figure it out," he said. He turned and walked away.

I stayed outside for another half an hour before I went inside. I was exhausted from the long day and all of my exhaustion from the last couple days, actually basically since we've been on Earth, has finally caught up to me.

I undressed and folded my clothes. I put them on my backpack next to my boots at the foot of the bed. I climbed under the covers and closed my eyes. I softly sang and quickly fell asleep.

"Sorry," Murphy whispered when he bumped me and woke me up. It was only an hour or two after I'd fallen asleep.

I just moaned a little and turned to face him. He was lying on his side, looking over at me. I gave him a sleepy smile and pushed him over. He chuckled and faced away from me. I looped my arm around his waist and snuggled into his back.

I woke late the next morning. Murphy was already awake.

"I thought you'd be gone," I mumbled, looking up at him. He was leaning over me as I laid on my back.

"Bellamy doesn't need me yet," he said. "We got a lot of food yesterday. He's giving us a break."

I thought about it for a second. I slowly sat up and looked over at him. "No thanks."

"Oh come on," he sighed, falling onto the bed when I continued to climb off.

"I'm not good at doing nothing," I said. "We can work on the wall today."

I quickly got dressed. I was just pulling on my boots when I heard a scream.

I grabbed a knife and bolted from the tent. The scream had come from just outside the walls.

There was a crowd forming. Bellamy was pushing his way through the crowd and I quickly followed.

"Wells," I gasped.

In the middle of the circle was Wells. He was dead. He had been stabbed in the neck. He was missing two fingers as well.

Why was he dead? Who killed him? When did they kill him? What was going on?

I glanced at Bellamy and saw he was already looking at me. I could tell he didn't know what to do.

"We need to bury him," I said softly, stepping a little closer. "And then we need to build that fricking wall. So be a leader and tell them."

He nodded slowly. He turned to three of his guys.

"Go get a stretcher and get started on burying him." They left.

He turned to everyone else. "We don't know what the Grounders want…if they even want something. But we know that they hurt and now we know they kill. A wall might not stop them…but it's a hell of a lot better than nothing. This wall has been slow going. I know I told you that you could do whatever the hell you wanted but that is after we do what we have to in order to survive. For the next few days, we work around the clock to get this wall up and camp secured."

He paused to look around. "No one leaves camp alone. Always have someone with you. Try to always stay within yelling distance." He paused again, glancing at me before he looked up again. "No let's build this fricking wall."

There was cheering. And then everyone was heading back to camp. I could hear Bellamy instructing more, breaking people into groups and giving them tasks.

I stayed behind with Wells. I knelt next to him and reached out, closing his eyes.

I didn't really know Wells. But I knew he was a good person. He let Clarke hate him so that she wouldn't hate her mother. Finn told me last night. He came to Earth for Clarke. He tried to make sure everyone was okay. He wanted to find water and food and shelter.

He was a good person and he was killed.

It confused me so much. Why would they come and kill Wells? Why Wells? And why only Wells? If they had come all this way, why not kill more? There were more outside the walls than just Wells. It made no sense.

There was a gasp behind me.

I turned quickly and saw Clarke standing there. She had her hand over her mouth and looked like she would cry at any second.

"Clarke," I breathed. I stood up and stepped back so that she could have a moment with him.

"What happened?" she whispered after a few seconds. She had knelt down next to him, looking him over.

"Grounders," I said. "They got him sometime last night."

A few tears escaped.

"Clarke, I'm so sorry."

She just let out a few more tears. She stood up when the guys came back with a stretcher. She was hyperventilating a little.

Then she walked past me, heading back to camp. I sighed and followed.

While she went into the dropship, I found Bellamy. He, Murphy, and a few others were talking. He and Murphy noticed me walking over.

"Where do you need me?" I asked.

The two glanced at each other. "Congratulations," Bellamy said with a smirk. "You get nothing."

I scoffed. "Screw you. You don't give me a job, I'll go find one."

The two exchanged a look again.

He sighed. "Go sharpen poles."

"Thank you," I said. I turned and walked away.

For the rest of the day, I stood or sat around and sharpened poles. People would bring me a small cut down trees or thick branches. Someone else had already cut the tree down and cut off all the branches. All I had to do was sharpen one end.

It was easy work.

We all worked until dark. People stopped going out at dark so the only people still working were those close enough to the fire. That was me. I finished the one I was working on and that was that.

I ate some panther when I was done. I'd eaten rabbit earlier in the day.

Wells' death was awful and tragic but it might have been a good thing. The good thing isn't that a person died, but that it brought us all together. We are now all focused on one task and all willing to help out. No one even complained about the long hours.

It didn't help morale though. Everyone felt that death, more so than Atom's. Atom's death happened with some freak fog that we all knew wasn't good. Wells was killed right outside the wall by Grounders.

A thing I noticed about Wells was that he loved to help. He tried to help in any way he could, even if no one else wanted it.

He helped us band together. He helped us get this wall going. He helped us survive.

But he shouldn't have had to die.


	19. Author's Note

Hey guys!

I just wanted to let you know a few things if you're still reading this.

1\. I'm trying to post at least a chapter a day since I'm on break right now. When I go back to school (January 3rd-ugh) it might be a little harder to post every day but I'll try my hardest.

2\. I'm honestly planning to write for as long as I can. I want to show Cory's story all throughout their experience on Earth. This just means I want to go through season 4 (coming out soon-yay!). So it will probably be really long but I might split it into different stories or skip some time. I'll post another little note later to let you know what's going on.

3\. I wrote this in the summary but I kind of want to reiterate it just so you aren't confused. I am basing this off the TV show but am adding a character so there is some change with that. There are also a lot of details we don't really ever find out and so I had to make up some stuff. So some things from the show, you might have to ignore while reading this.

4\. And last thing, thank you so much for reading. Feel free to leave reviews for me. I do read them!

I might post another one of these later but that is everything for now.

Happy reading!


	20. Building The Wall

The next three days were basically the same for me.

I woke early. But then again, everyone did. We basically all woke up at dawn.

For three days we worked from dawn until dusk. Slightly before and slightly after sometimes.

Murphy and I would get dressed and go our separate ways. He would go watch over the group with Bellamy.

The first day I went to see Clarke. I tried to console her but she completely ignored me at first.

"Hey Clarke," I said with a small smile, walking into the dropship. "You okay?" I asked after a few seconds of silence.

She just looked at me. I walked over and sat next to her.

"It's okay to fall apart," I said softly, looking at the wall across from me.

"No, it's not," she whispered.

"He was your best friend," I said, turning to look at her. "If Nate died…I don't even know what I'd do."

"He let me hate him," she said. She was choking back tears now. But I saw one slip from her eye.

"Because he loved you," I said. I slowly put a hand on her arm. "I'm so sorry this had to happen to you."

That's when she broke. She turned toward me and threw herself at me. She clung to my waist as she buried her head in my shoulder. I rubbed her back and whispered soothing words.

She pulled back after a few minutes of crying. Tears stained her face but no new tears were falling.

I reached up and wiped her tears. "You're gonna be okay," I said, looking in her eyes.

We sat for a few more minutes before she got up. She helped me up and hugged me.

"Thank you," she whispered.

I nodded with a smile. She went off to check on Jasper and I snuck out.

The second day I went to see Jasper.

"Hey lazy butt," I said with a smile.

Jasper was brought in about a week ago but only woke up three days ago. Clarke wanted to let him rest as much as possible. He did almost die.

"How are you doing?"

He shrugged. "Doesn't hurt anymore."

I smiled. "That is great."

"What are you doing?" he asked, squinting at me.

"Checking on a friend," I said with a look.

"I meant out there." He was smiling.

"Sharpening branches," I said, wrinkling my nose. "Fun right?"

"Can I tell you a secret?" he asked softly, looking down.

"Of course," I said, kneeling next to him. "What's up?"

"I'm scared…to even leave the dropship."

I took his hand. "Jasper, it's scary out there. I totally get it. And you don't have to leave until you're ready."

"You left," he said.

"I'm stubborn," I said with a smile. "I usually do the exact opposite of what people want me to do."

"But it's so easy for you."

I looked him in the eyes. "Do not mistake my smile for happiness. I am terrified out there. I have to force myself to even take a step."

"Then why do you do it?"

"My daughter," I said simply. I paused. Did I really want to tell him? He'll tell Monty for sure, maybe others.

"I was raped when I was 12 years old. My father found me and beat the guard. Others came and we were both charged with assaulting a guard. He was floated and I was locked up. I had my daughter while I was in lockup and I haven't really gotten to spend a lot of time with her. But that will change when she comes down. And I'm going to do everything in my power to make sure it is safe for her to come down."

He didn't say anything.

"Just find a goal and take your time," I said. "Okay?"

He nodded. I squeezed his hand and stood up.

The third day I visited Bellamy. The night before he said I needed to talk to him as soon as I wake up.

So I walked into his tent at dawn. He and a girl were still in bed.

"Really?" I asked, disgusted. He has a different girl in bed every night, at least on the nights he actually sleeps.

I sighed. "What did you want?"

"Can I get dressed?" he asked, sitting up in bed. The girl next to him did not look happy.

"Sure."

"You gonna watch?" He lifted his eyebrows.

"Maybe I like the view," I said with a look. But I turned around anyways.

I waited for about thirty seconds before I turned around again. The girl was gone and he was dressed in pants and putting his boots on.

"What did you want?" I repeated.

"You're going outside again?"

I crossed my arms. "You can't stop me."

"Just be careful," he sighed. He was looking at the ground, just sitting on the bed.

"That's it? That's what you wanted to talk about?"

"There are Grounders out there," he said, standing up. "You're not invincible."

"And I'm not stupid," I snapped. "I'm careful, okay?"

"You were taken once."

"And I'm not making that mistake again. They are not going to take me or kill me without a fight." I paused. "Why do you even care anyways?"

He didn't say anything. He grabbed his jacket and left. I scoffed and left as well.

By the time I'm done with these visits, most people are up. It's a little harder to sneak out but not impossible.

I walk around for about two hours, looking for animals. I usually find a couple rabbits. The second day, I found a boar. I also pick berries and find nuts while I'm out there.

Then around midday, I get back to camp. The first day I got chewed out by a bunch of people. After that it was only Murphy. The others realized I wasn't gonna listen.

"Where the hell have you been?" Murphy yelled when he saw me. He stormed over, looking mad. But when he got to me, he just wrapped his arms around me. "I thought you were taken again."

"I'm fine," I said with a tight smile. "I got food." I showed him my kill.

"You can't go out there."

"I can do what I want," I snapped. "You don't control me."

"Even if it keeps you safe?"

"I'm perfectly safe out there," I said. "I didn't see a single Grounder."

"Doesn't mean they weren't there," he said softly.

I sighed. "I can take care of myself."

"I know," he sighed. He hugged me again. "I was just worried."

"Well I'm back now," I said with a smile, pulling back. "What can I do?"

He rolled his eyes. "Go skin those," he said, motioning to my kill. "But if you try something like this again, I'll tie you to a pole."

I couldn't help the smile.

"Now go," he said. He leaned down and kissed my cheek before heading back to go watch over everyone. I continued to head into camp and ran into Nate.

"Where have you been?" he asked, grabbing my arm.

"Hunting," I replied, turning to look at him.

"Are you stupid?" He was very mad.

"Possibly," I said. I nodded a little.

"This isn't funny. I was worried."

"I'm sorry," I said, pouting a little. "I just couldn't be in camp."

He sighed and hugged me. "Just don't scare me like that again."

"Next time I'll tell you," I said. We hugged for a few more seconds before I pulled back. "I'll probably go tomorrow."

"Cory-"

I shrugged. "I'm sorry but we need food and I can't stay still long."

He sighed. "Can you just be back by noon every day?"

I smiled and nodded. "I promise."

"Good," he said with a nod. "Now go skin those."

I reached up and kissed his cheek. "Don't work too hard."

We went our separate ways. I ran into Bellamy next.

"You can't go outside the wall," he said, crossing his arms.

"And you're gonna stop me?" I asked, raising my eyebrows. "I do whatever I want, whenever I want. So don't try to stop me."

"Everyone else is working-"

"And I went hunting. I'm back now. I'm going to skin these and then I'm going to get to work. So chill."

I pushed past him but he followed.

"Are you ever going to listen to me?"

I pretended to think. "Probably not."

"And why not?"

I shrugged. "It makes you so mad."

"Cory-"

"I'm being careful, okay? I'll be fine."

"What about the idiots who want to follow you?"

"I'll kick their butts for you," I said with a smile.

I turned and walked away. That was the end of that conversation.

I skinned the kill and cut it up. We were going to cook it that night so I didn't do much to it.

I then sharpened some poles until dark.

Clarke found out I'd gone outside the wall and had to have a talk with me. She was quick about it. She knew I wasn't really listening to her.

"Just be careful," she said before turning and walking away.

Just after dark, everyone is getting food. I finish up the pole and eat my own food. I sat by the fire a little longer and talked to some people.

Then I head back to my tent. I lay in bed and Murphy comes in not long after. I sing and we cuddle until we fall asleep.

For three days, this was my schedule.

The fourth day, I started like usual.

I talked to Charlotte first thing in the morning.

"Where are you going?" she asked, looking up at me. She glanced at my bag.

"Hunting," I said.

"I thought we weren't supposed to leave."

"That applies to like everyone but me," I said with a smile. "They know I'm not gonna listen but you should."

"But it's so boring," she sighed.

"I know," I said with a little laugh. "But they need all the help they can get."

She smiled.

"I'll be back around noon with some fresh food."

She nodded and started tying some ropes. I snuck off.


	21. Hanging Murphy

I walked back to camp with my kill. I'd gotten three rabbits. I tied their feet together and held the rope as I walked.

It was fairly easy but I promised Nate I'd be back by noon. He's been worried ever since Wells was killed. He thinks the Grounders are going to kill me.

I'd like to see them try.

I walked through the gate and furrowed my eyebrows. No one was working.

"Float him! Float him!"

I looked over and saw practically everyone was crowded in the middle of camp. I didn't know what's going on but I did not like the sound of it. 'Float him' on the Ark meant throw him into space. What did 'float him' on Earth mean?

I dropped the rabbits and took off at a run.

"What the hell?" I yelled.

There was a fight, very one-sided. There were at least seven or eight people beating on one person. I couldn't tell who it was but I knew I had to stop it.

"Hey," I yelled. I pulled some people back and pushed some people out of the way. But there were so many and they never stayed gone for long. "Stop it," I yelled. "Hey."

I was trying to pull someone away when I was elbowed in the face. I stumbled backwards and held my hand to my lip. It was split and bleeding.

"Clarke," I gasped, seeing her trying to help as well. "What is going on?"

"They're gonna kill him," she said. She then turned and pushed her way away from the fight.

They were gonna kill him? Him who?

It doesn't matter. We can't just go around killing our own people.

The guy was thrown down a hill. Others walked or slid down the hill. I followed quickly.

"Stop it," I yelled as someone punched the guy.

And that's when I saw it. That was Murphy's jacket. And that would mean that the guy getting beat up was Murphy.

"Stop," I yelled again, pulling on someone.

"Cory," Nate yelled, grabbing my arm.

I turned on him with furrowed eyebrows, panting. "We have to help."

"There's nothing you can do," he said, shaking his head softly. "Look at them. They're out for blood. I don't want you hurt."

"They're going to kill him," I cried. "I have to help."

They were calling for Bellamy to kick the box out, to kill Murphy.

"Bellamy, please," I cried. Tears were welling in my eyes. I know I haven't known him for long but I really liked him. And I did not want him killed.

"I saw you in the woods with Atom. I know you're not a killer." Clarke was trying to reason with him.

"Bellamy, don't do this. Don't," Murphy mumbled through the gag. My heart broke looking at him.

"Don't. Bellamy. You can't do this, Bellamy," Clarke cried.

He started walking forward anyways. He shrugged off Clarke and kicked the box.

Murphy dropped, the rope catching him. He just hung there, wiggling around, choking. Dying.

"No," I cried, tears streaming down my face.

I tried to run forward but Connor held up a knife. I stopped short and Nate was by my side again. I was about to do something but Nate wrapped his arms around me, holding me to his side.

I could have taken Connor. But Nate was holding me back. I know he was just trying to protect me but it didn't feel like it. I could still help.

"This is on you, princess," Bellamy said, turning back to Clarke. "You should've kept your mouth shut."

What did that mean?

"No," I cried again. I struggled against Nate but Connor held the knife closer to my face.

"What the hell are you doing?" Finn yelled, pushing through the group. Finally, someone else who was trying to fight back. "Cut him down! Charlotte, get out of here now! Cut him down!" He ran over but was also stopped by Connor. "Get out of my way."

I pushed Nate's arms down and stepped forward. I easily swept my foot behind Connor's legs and knocked him to the ground. Another person was there, Myles. He held another knife to my face. I was about to do something when someone started yelling louder than anyone else.

"Stop! Okay? Murphy didn't kill Wells! I did!"

Charlotte killed Wells?

I didn't even have time to think about that.

Clarke grabbed Bellamy's axe and cut Murphy down. I pushed past a stunned Myles and stepped over Connor, who was still on the ground. I knelt next to Murphy.

I quickly pulled the rope from his neck so that he could breathe. I was panting as I looked down at him. He was screaming through the gag.

"You're okay," I breathed. "It's gonna be okay."

I pulled the gag from his mouth and slowly helped him sit up. He was no longer screaming but he still looked mad.

I wrapped my arms around his shoulders. I cried into his shoulder.

"I'm sorry," I whispered. "I'm so sorry."

He pulled back and looked at me, confused. At least I think he was confused. I couldn't really tell with his beat up face.

"I should have been here," I whispered, a tear falling from my eye.

"Don't blame yourself," he said, looking at me. His voice was hoarse seeing as he was just hanging from a tree moments ago.

I shook my head and reached behind him. I cut the binds holding his hands back and his arms came around my waist.

"Are you okay?" I asked, pulling back and looking him over. I took his chin in my hands and lifted so that I could see his neck. It was already bloody and bruised.

"I'll be fine," he said, pushing away my hands.

I gave him a look.

"I will be when I get the bitch," he said seriously. He stood up quickly.

"Murphy," I started, jumping up.

He was already walking over to the tent Charlotte and the others had gone into. People were making a path for him.

I noticed that everyone was staring. They had no idea what to do now. They'd just tried to hang the wrong person. Every single person here was guilty except for Finn, Clarke, and I; we were the only ones who did something. From what Bellamy had said earlier, I'd deduced that Clarke was somehow involved in this. It was actually just Finn and I.

"Murphy, please," I said, grabbing his hand.

He quickly turned to look at me. "I was hanged because of that bitch," he spat at me.

"You were hanged because of Charlotte and Clarke and Bellamy and Colin and Myles. Are you just going kill everyone? Finn and I would be the only ones alive. Please. Let's just think about this," I pleaded, pulling on his hand.

"I've thought about it," he said, ripping his hand from mine. He stormed away.

For a second, I just stood there. Then I pushed through the crowd after him. But I didn't stop when I got to him.

I walked right past him and into the tent. I threw him a dirty look before I headed inside.

Bellamy turned to look at me the second I walked in. He looked mad and put his hand on his axe, which he had grabbed before going into the tent.

"What the hell Charlotte?" I snapped, turning to the little girl in front of me.

Was this really the same girl from the cave? That sweet, innocent girl was not standing in front of me anymore.

"I was just trying to slay my demons, like you told me," she said, looking up at Bellamy.

My face fell a little. This was all because of a misunderstanding? She just took Bellamy's advice the wrong way?

"What the hell is she talking about?" Clarke asked, stepping closer to us.

I didn't even want to look at her. She was at least part of the reason this happened to Murphy. I don't know the details but I know she helped with this.

"She misunderstood me," Bellamy said, looking over at Clarke before he looked at me and then Charlotte. "Charlotte, that is not what I meant."

"Bring the girl out now!" Murphy yelled.

"Please don't let them hurt me," Charlotte whimpered. She took my hand and I had to resist the urge to pull it away. She was a scared little girl and I should feel bad. If she hadn't waited so long, I would feel bad right now. But all I'm feeling is anger. Anger towards everyone, including Murphy.

I let her hold onto my hand though. I don't know what's gonna happen to her. Murphy is out for blood, just like practically everyone was before. He wants her dead. I won't let that happen. But she does need to be punished.

"If you guys have any bright ideas, speak up," he said, looking at Finn and Clarke. They didn't say anything. "Now you stay quiet." He scoffed.

"Those are your boys out there," Finn said.

"This is not my fault," Bellamy snapped. "If she had listened to me, those idiots would still be building the wall."

I was right. Clarke had done something.

"You want to build a society, princess? Let's build a society. Bring her out." Murphy was not going to just give up.

"No! Please, Bellamy," Charlotte gasped, hiding behind me.

"Charlotte, hey, it's gonna be okay," he said, kneeling down to look her in the eye.

He looked up at me. He wanted me to go out there and try to calm Murphy down. How was I supposed to do that? He was just hung. Bellamy did the hanging. I didn't even want to look at him, much less help him out.

But then Charlotte squeezed my hand. I knew I had to try. This little girl is a murderer, yes. But things are different on the ground. We can't just go around killing people, even if they did the killing first.

I turned to look at Charlotte. "Just stay with them, okay? You're gonna be okay. Everything's gonna be okay." I gave her a small smile and looked at Finn. I glanced at the back of the tent and hoped he got the message. I didn't want to say anything in case someone could hear.

"Well, well, well," Murphy said. "Look who decided to join us."

Bellamy had gone outside. I squeezed Charlotte's hand one more time before heading outside.

"Dial it down and back off."

"Or what?" Murphy asked, stopping in front of Bellamy. "What are you gonna do about me? Hang me?"

"I was just giving the people what they wanted."

I had to clench my teeth to keep from yelling at Bellamy. That's how he is justifying it? A real leader would have stopped the idiots before they even touched Murphy.

"Yeah. Yeah, that's a good idea. Why don't we do that right now?" He glanced at me before backing up and looking at everyone else. "So, who here wants to see the real murderer hung up? All in favor?"

Four people right in front raised their hands. No one else.

"I see. So, it's okay to string me up for nothing, but when this little bitch confesses, you all let her walk? Cowards! All of you are cowards!"

He had some points. But I shook the thoughts out right after. It was not okay for us to decide who dies down here.

"Hey," I snapped. I stalked over and grabbed his arm, turning him around. "Knock it off. I get that you want revenge. But we can't just go around killing each other. Yes, punishment is necessary but not this punishment." I paused. "You go after her…" I lowered my voice a little and my eyes softened. "I don't know if I can forgive you."

He was taken aback. Was he actually going to stop? Did I get through to him?

"It's over, Murphy," Bellamy commented.

Yeah, he ruined it. Murphy looked away from me and looked at Bellamy instead.

"Whatever you say, boss," he said.

Bellamy walked away and Murphy pushed past me to follow.

"Son of a bitch!" Octavia yelled when Murphy struck Bellamy from behind. She tried to hurry over but Jasper held her back a little.

"Hey!" I yelled when Murphy punched Jasper.

"Come on," he said ignoring me. "Let's get the girl."

He pulled the tent door open but they were already gone.

"Charlotte! Charlotte, I know you can hear me! And when I find you, you are gonna pay!" he yelled. He turned to the others. "Come on."

They left camp. He had four people with him.

I knelt next to Bellamy.

"Couldn't get a handle on your boyfriend?" Octavia spit at me as she helped Bellamy up.

I glared at her but didn't say anything. She was just mad that her brother and Jasper got hurt. I was mad that Jasper got hurt. I think Bellamy deserved it.


	22. Charlotte vs Murphy

I waited a few minutes, just long enough to make sure Bellamy was okay. Then I grabbed my stuff.

I should've gone sooner.

"Where do you think you're going?" Nate asked, crossing his arms and blocking my path.

"I have to go stop this," I said.

"No," he said. "You don't."

"I do," I said. "This is my fault."

"How is this your fault?" He raised his eyebrows at me.

"I should have done something. I could have realized the Grounders didn't kill Wells. I would have looked around a little. Why didn't I look for the fingers? Why would we think they took them? And if I had been here, I could have stopped Clarke. Or I could have stopped the others. I could have persuaded them. And if you hadn't have held me back…I could have done something." I paused, panting. "I could have stopped this."

"There was nothing you could have done," he said.

"There was," I said, stepping closer. "But you didn't even let me try. And now Murphy is out there, about to make the worst mistake of his life. I'm going out there and I'm stopping him."

I pushed past him but he grabbed my arm.

"Cory, don't."

"Nate," I said, giving him a look. "I have to. If I don't, who will?"

"Trust Bellamy," he said.

I laughed harshly and fully turned my body back to him. "Trust Bellamy? He kicked the box. He hung Murphy. He hung an innocent person."

"You know Murphy's not innocent."

I swallowed. Murphy may not be innocent of every crime but he was innocent of this one. And no one believed him. My best friend didn't even give him the benefit of the doubt.

"He didn't kill Wells," I said. "And no one believed him. Not even you. Do you really think I'd be with a murderer?"

"You know the kind of person he is," Nate argued.

"He's not a murderer," I snapped. "I'm not in love with a murderer."

"Love?"

Love? Did I just say that? Did I love Murphy?

No. I haven't even known him for two weeks. We weren't even together the entire two weeks. No. This isn't love. But it's close. I can feel it. And I know he feels the same way.

Which is why I have to stop him.

"You can't stop me," I said. I turned and walked away. He didn't try to stop me again.

It was already getting dark. I needed to find them fast.

For a couple hours, I wandered around, trying to find them. I found a trail, lost the trail, found it again, and lost it again.

But then I heard yelling.

I hurried after it, careful not to trip over something in the dark.

"Don't hurt her?" I heard Murphy say. I burst into the clearing and saw he was holding a knife to Clarke's throat. "Okay, I'll make you a deal. You come with me right now, I will let her go."

"Murphy," I snapped, looking at him. "Charlotte, stay there."

"Don't do it, Charlotte," Clarke said

Bellamy was holding her back.

"No! No, I have to!" she said.

"Murphy, this is not happening," Bellamy said.

"Murphy, please," I whimpered. I looked at him with parted lips, begging him to not do it.

For a second, I swear he was dropping the knife. He was looking at me with soft eyes. The knife was lowering. He was going to give up.

"I can't let any of you get hurt anymore. Not because of me. Not after what I did."

I looked over at Charlotte, just as she jumped off the cliff.

"Charlotte!" Clarke yelled, pushing Murphy away.

"No," Bellamy said, turning but not being able to grab her in time.

"No, no, no!" Clarke cried, kneeling next to the edge. "No!"

I was numb. I couldn't believe she jumped.

I looked back at Murphy. He looked surprised with a tinge of sadness. He hadn't wanted this to happen. I don't think he was ever actually going to kill her.

"Bellamy," I said when he stood up. He wasn't going to do anything stupid, right?

"Bellamy," Murphy said when he realized what he was going to do. Bellamy launched himself at Murphy, knocking him down and punching him.

"Bellamy, stop!" Clarke yelled. I was too stunned to move at first. "You'll kill him!"

I finally leapt into action. I grabbed his fist as he pulled back for another punch. I twisted it behind his back and pulled him up by the back of his jacket. I held him back even as he struggled against me.

"Get off me!" He grunted as I let go. He turned on me. "He deserves to die."

I was about to speak but Clarke spoke first. Lucky her because I was just about to start telling everyone off. They needed a good telling off. If they haven't noticed, it was the guilt that got to Charlotte. Murphy didn't kill her.

"No!" she said, stepping in between Murphy and Bellamy. "We don't decide who lives and dies. Not down here."

Bellamy looked between Murphy and Clarke before she said, "So help me God, if you say the people have a right to decide-"

"No," Clarke said, cutting him off. "I was wrong before, okay? You were right. Sometimes it's dangerous to tell people the truth. But if we're gonna survive down here, we can't just live by whatever the hell we want. We need rules."

No duh we need rules. But who's gonna make the rules? And who's gonna inforce them? And what do we do about Murphy? He did try to kill Charlotte. But he didn't actually kill her. He just wanted revenge.

"And who makes those rules, huh? You?" Bellamy asked, voicing my concern.

"For now, we make the rules. Okay?"

"So, what, then? We just take him back and pretend like it never happened?"

I think that's fair. They tried to hang him and he was just getting revenge. Yes, Charlotte died. But he didn't actually kill her. A point I'm going to keep reiterating, even if it's just to myself.

"No!" Clarke snapped. My eyes widened. "We banish him."

"Get up," Bellamy said, pushing past Clarke and pulling Murphy up.

"Bellamy," I yelled loudly. I wasn't gonna let him kill Murphy.

I couldn't hear what he said because Finn had grabbed my arm and held me back. I would fight but I didn't really want to scare Bellamy and make him drop Murphy.

Murphy said something back and then they both nodded. Murphy was then thrown to the ground.

I ran to him and knelt down.

Yes, I was mad. He shouldn't have done anything. He should have rested up and gotten them back by showing how strong he was. And yes, I know how stupid that sounds.

"Are you okay?" I asked softly, putting my hands on his cheeks and looking him over. He was very bloody and bruised.

"Be safe," he said hoarsely.

I furrowed my eyebrows. "What are you talking about?"

"Just listen to them," he said quickly but quietly. "Don't get in trouble. Please." He looked up and nodded.

Hands were wrapped around my waist before I could turn around and I was pulled up. I was immediately turned and thrown over someone's shoulder.

"What are you doing?" I asked, squirming a little.

"Shut up," Bellamy said. He was the one carrying me.

"Bellamy, what are you doing?" I asked. Now I pounded on his back.

"A favor," he said simply. He walked in silence.

If I really tried, I could get him to drop me and I could run. But I realized something. Murphy asked him to do this. He didn't want me to go after him. He wanted to do this alone. He wanted to leave me.

"Cory," Clarke started after a few minutes.

I used my arms to push off Bellamy's back a little so that I could see her. "Don't talk to me." I squirmed a little. "Put me down."

Bellamy sighed and put me down.

I stalked off, not talking to anyone the entire way back.


	23. The Pod

I entered camp and went right to my tent. I didn't talk to anyone, even Monty who tried. I laid down and stared at the ceiling.

I blamed myself. I should have done something.

But I also blamed Clarke, Bellamy, Charlotte, Nate, most people in camp, Murphy.

What was wrong with people?

I didn't sleep. But I didn't get out of bed either. Not for hours.

I felt a shock from my wristband. I should go investigate. But I just laid there and wallowed in my misery. Now they think I'm dead. Great. Life just keeps getting better.

I didn't move until I heard noise outside.

I ducked out of my tent and saw that most people were out and awake. They were all looking up.

A dropship was coming down. They were coming to help. A little late but still appreciated.

I smiled up at the sky, watching as it fell. It probably landed near a lake, not too far from here. They probably didn't send much. It looked too small for more than a couple people. It was probably full of food and other supplies. Anything was welcome.

Everyone ducked inside their tents to get dressed again. I grabbed my bag.

I then ducked inside Bellamy's tent. He was just putting a shirt on.

I was still mad at him so I didn't say a word. I waited as others came in. There were four of them.

"If it cleared the ridge, it's probably near the lake," Mbege said.

"We should get moving," Octavia said, walking in. "Everyone's ready."

"No one's going anywhere," Bellamy said. My jaw dropped. "Not while it's dark. It isn't safe. We'll head out at first light." He looked at the others. "Pass the word."

The four left. Octavia and I exchanged a look and both stayed.

Octavia and I have never been that close. We talked and were friendly enough. But we wouldn't seek out each other's company. We were just the only ones who would stand up to Bellamy. She was his sister and he came down for her. I just didn't really like him and didn't want to listen to him, especially when he said something stupid. Like this.

"Everyone for 100 miles saw this thing come down," Octavia said. "What if the grounders get to it first? Bell, we should go now."

"I said we wait until sunrise," he said. He walked past us.

I rolled my eyes. I turned to look at Octavia.

"Listen," I said. "I'm sorry about…Murphy."

I don't think she ever really got hurt. But he hurt Bellamy and Jasper, two guys she cares about.

She looked at me. She looked almost sad. "I should have stopped them. I'm sorry."

I nodded with a small smile. "Thanks." I paused. "He was kind of a jerk to everyone."

"Except you," she pointed out with a little smile. "I think he really liked you."

"Not enough to not leave," I pointed out, pouting a little.

"Yeah, well guys are stupid," she said, ducking out of the tent.

"So true," I said with a smile.

I decided to go try to find Bellamy and convince him to at least let me go. Maybe he could even go with me. That would probably be a little better, safer, even if at the moment, I hate him. But to be honest, I can count the people I actually like here on one hand now.

I looked around but couldn't find Bellamy. Where was he?

For ten more minutes, I looked around. He wasn't in camp. He went after the dropship by himself.

Idiot.

I found Octavia next. "He's gone," I said.

"Let's go," she replied, turning to the wall.

We quickly snuck out and started making our way to the lake. I know it was near that and if Bellamy was going for it, hopefully we could make it there first. So we jogged for a while. The sky was lightening by the time we found him.

"Bellamy!" Octavia called when we finally caught up to him. We were almost to the lake at this point.

"What are you doing?" Bellamy asked, turning on us. "Go back to camp. It isn't safe."

"You lied to everyone," she said, stopping in front of him. "You lied to me. You just want whatever's in that pod-"

"Just go home!" he said, cutting her off. He shoved her a little. I stepped forward. He does not get to push her, or anyone else, around like that.

"You always want to play the big brother, huh? Well, guess what? Joke's on me. You're just a selfish dick."

"I did this for you, to protect you. If The Ark finds out we're alive, they'll come down. And when they do... I'm dead."

"What did you do?" I asked when Octavia didn't say anything.

He glanced at me but then looked at Octavia. "I shot him. I shot Jaha."

"What?" she gasped, finally finding her voice.

"I found out they were sending you to Earth. I couldn't let you go alone. Someone came to me with a deal...do this. Kill him, and they'd get me on the dropship. And I did it," he said simply, just explaining it to us.

"You killed the chancellor?" she asked. Now she looked mad.

"He floated our mother. He locked you up. He deserved it," Bellamy explained, looking at her.

"I didn't ask you to do that."

"You're right," he said with a slight nod. He took half a step back. "I made the choice. This is on me. Whatever they sent down, I'll take care of it."

"I didn't ask for any of this," Octavia whispered, backing away. She turned and ran off.

I sighed. I had to stop Bellamy but I also had to protect Octavia. Being upset while running through the woods is never good.

"Octavia wait," I called. I sprinted over to her, catch up and get her to stop. Then we could go after Bellamy again.

"No," she said, stopping quickly and turning to me. "He killed for me."

"We'll figure this out," I said. "They're still coming down and…he'll be okay." I know she was mad but he was still her brother. She still cared for him.

"Go after my brother," she said. "He needs you a lot more than I do."

"Octavia," I started.

She interrupted me. "I can find my way back to camp, okay? Go follow that dick."

"Be careful," I said with a nod. "Go straight back to camp."

She nodded and continued to walk away.

I started running, being on the lookout for the dropship or Bellamy.

After close to an hour, I finally found him. It was too long. He did whatever he came out here to do.

"What'd you do?" I asked, stepping up to him and crossing my arms.

"Go back to camp," he said, walking past me.

"What did you do?" I repeated, grabbing his shoulder.

He responded by wrapping a hand around my neck and pushing me into a tree. I gasped.

"Get off my back," he said, getting close to my face.

I glared at him before kneeing him in the groin. He let go and backed up with a groan. I took out my knife and held it to his neck.

"Touch me like that again, and I will kill you," I hissed. "What did you do?"

"What I had to," he said simply.

"What you had to?" I asked, raising my eyebrows. "Is that your excuse for everything?"

"This isn't even about the radio," he said, pushing my arm away. "It's about Murphy."

"Yeah it's about Murphy," I scoffed. "Why wouldn't it be about him? You kicked the crate out from under him. You hanged him and he was innocent. He didn't kill Wells but no one believed him. No one even listened to him." I paused, trying not to cry.

Bellamy turned to walk away but I grabbed his arm and pushed him against a tree. I held my arm against him so it would at least be a little harder to move.

"I'm not done. You proceeded to banish him for wanting revenge. Yes, he went about it all wrong but wouldn't you want revenge? He was hung and no one tried to stop it. You didn't even try."

I was crying now. Tears were falling from my eyes. Bellamy looked taken aback but didn't say anything.

"And the only reason I'm not out there looking for him right now is that he obviously doesn't want that. He had you carry me away so that I couldn't follow him. You doing that for him does not make me like you. It actually makes me hate you more. So tell me what you did so I can go back to camp and completely ignore basically everyone."

He swallowed but didn't say anything. He pushed me back again and stalked off.

"Hey," I yelled. "You can't just do whatever you want. It doesn't work."

He kept walking and I kept following.

"They're dying up there," I practically screamed at him. "Do you even care?" He stopped but didn't turn to look at me or say anything. "Earth is more or less safe but you aren't even letting them know that. You are letting them die up there. But I am going to fight you every step of the way. My mother, my daughter and my best friend are coming down. So tell me what you did."

"Hey!" a voice yelled. I turned to see Clarke running over.

"Clarke," I said, watching as she ran over.

"Where is it?" she asked. She grabbed Bellamy's arm and turned him toward her. "They're getting ready to kill 300 people up there to save oxygen. And I can guarantee you it won't be council members. It'll be working people. Your people."

"Bellamy," Finn said, marching over. He shoved Bellamy. "Where's the radio?"

"I have no idea what you're talking about," he said, shoving him back.

"Oh give it a rest," I sighed.

"Bellamy Blake?" a girl asked. She must have been who came down in the dropship. That means it's probably not full of supplies. "They're looking everywhere for you."

"Shut up," he snapped at her. He glanced over at me but I wasn't going to say anything. I'll leave that to this new girl.

"Looking for him why?" Clarke asked, stepping forward.

"He shot Chancellor Jaha," she said simply.

"That's why you took the wristbands," Clarke said, looking up at him. It was now just dawning on her. I figured he did something up there. No one just doesn't want the Ark to come down. They always have a reason or they're following some misguided idiot. "Needed everyone to think we're dead."

"And all that "whatever the hell we want"? You just care about saving your own skin," Finn added. He looked so hurt.

Bellamy just sighed and started walking away. The girl and I caught up quickly. She started yelling while I just followed. I didn't want to let him out of my sight anymore. I shouldn't have gone after Octavia earlier.

"Hey!" she yelled. "Shooter! Where's my radio?"

"Get out of my way," he said simply. He sounded mad though.

"Where is it?"

"I should've killed you when I had the chance," he said, glaring at her.

"Really? Well, I'm right here," she said.

It all happened so fast. Bellamy grabbed her jacket and pushed her against a nearby tree. She pulled out a knife though and held it to his face.

"Where's my radio?"

I let them glare at each other for a few seconds before I stepped in.

"Okay, enough," I snapped, pushing Bellamy a little. After a few seconds of just glaring at each other, Bellamy stepped back and the girl put her knife down.

"Jaha deserved to die," he said, walking away again. "You all know that." He glanced over at me.

"Yeah, he's not my favorite person, either," the girl said. "But he isn't dead."

"What?" Bellamy breathed, looking back at her. My eyes widened.

"You're a lousy shot," she said with a shrug.

Now was my time to maybe get through to him. He didn't kill anyone. They can come down and everything will be more or less okay. Sure, he'll still be punished but it'll be okay.

"Bellamy," I said, stepping closer. "You're not a murderer. You did what you had to do to protect your sister. That's who you are. Now you can protect 300 of your people. Just tell us where the radio is."

"It's too late," he said.

"The river," I said.

I took off at a run. We weren't far from it so it only took me twenty minutes to navigate the landscape.


	24. Communication

We've now been searching the river for about a half an hour, at least I have been.

I started looking right when I got there. Others joined us not long after. They had come out in search of the dropship. Finn intercepted them and brought them to the river.

Walking in water in boots is not fun. But it had to be done. Thanks Bellamy.

"I found it," I gasped loudly. I reached down and pulled the radio from the water.

It was completely soaked.

"Can you fix it?" I asked, handing it over to her. I found out her name was Raven.

"Maybe," she said, looking it over. "But it'll take half a day just to dry out the components to see what's broken."

"Like I said, it's too late," Bellamy said.

I glared at him.

"Do you have any idea what you did?" Clarke asked. "Do you even care?"

"You asked me to help. I helped."

"300 people are gonna die today because of you," Clarke said.

"Hold up," Raven said, looking up. "We don't have to talk to The Ark. We just have to let them know we're down here, right?"

"Yeah, but how do we do that with no radio?" Finn asked, confused.

"Flares," I said, furrowing my eyebrows. "How?" I asked, looking over at Raven. She looked surprised that I caught on.

"Come on," she said, heading back to the dropship.

Raven explained it to me as we walked. Once we got back to the dropship, I started toward camp. We needed power. We were going to use the dropship batteries.

It was only about a two-hour hike back. I walked fast, ignoring Bellamy as he followed.

When we made it back to camp I started ordering people around. One look from Bellamy and they were listening. We needed to get the batteries from the dropship so that we could tie them to the flares. Raven explained it all to me.

The sun was setting when the others came back.

Raven finished setting everything up, ordering everyone around.

Then we all gathered around and prayed it would work.

"I'm sorry," Nate said, standing in front of me.

"Me too," I said softly. I wrapped my arms around his waist. He hugged me close. We pulled back and watched as the flares went off one by one.

"Do you think it'll work?" I asked, watching them in the sky.

"I hope so."

"Do you think they're okay?"

Ever since I found out they were killing people, I was scared. Would my family be killed? What about Tabs? Someone's family and friends are possibly going to die tonight.

These flares need to work.

"I hope so," he repeated, unsure of what else to say.

After a few minutes, everyone headed to their beds. The only thing we could do now is pray.

I sat by a dying fire. I worked on my bow and arrow. I had started it a few days ago but haven't had much time to actually work on it. I had the bow made already. I had used a branch, carved and smoothed, and I braided a few strands from a seatbelt. I had two arrows done. They took a long time, way longer than they should have. All I had to do was take a branch from a tree I found that was lightweight yet fairly tough. I carved it a little and made it into a point. I cut a little notch and I was done. But it was hard to get them smooth enough and sharp enough. They just had to pierce skin but I had to test it on trees so they also had to stick there too.

For an hour or two, I just worked on those. I made another arrow before I saw Bellamy walking around.

"Octavia," he called, opening another tent. Those people didn't sound too happy.

"What's wrong?" I asked, looking up at him.

"I can't find Octavia," he said. He opened the next tent. "I've checked most of camp."

I sighed and stood up. I cleaned up my stuff, putting it all in my bag.

"I'll help," I said.

"Thanks," he said, giving me a small smile, a rare thing for him.

I just nodded and started checking other tents.

After checking every single tent and the dropship, I found Bellamy again. He was in the dropship, looking yet again. Apparently Clarke was helping.

"She's not here," I said softly.

I bit my lip. Where would she be? The last time I saw her was when I chased after Bellamy. That was hours ago.

"We're going after her," Bellamy said.

"I'll get my stuff," I said.

I already had most of my stuff in my bag. But I left some weapons in the tent because I couldn't carry all of them all the time. I grabbed those and threw them on top of Bellamy's pile.

"My sister's been out there alone for 12 hours," he announced. "Arm up. We're not coming back without her."

"Hey, Jasper, you don't have to do this," I said, grabbing his arm. I pulled so he had to look at me. "You haven't left camp since they brought us back."

"I need to do this," he said with a nod.

I nodded with a small smile. I made a mental note to watch him. The first time out would probably be scary since I found out the last time he went out, he found Wells' fingers and Murphy's knife.

"We need all the people we can get," Bellamy said.

I looked over at Clarke who was next to me, still looking at Jasper with concern in her eyes. "We need another tracker."

"Finn," Bellamy called when I looked back at him. "Get out here."

We all finished getting ready.

"Finn," Bellamy called again. "We're leaving."

We all started heading toward the gate. I stayed near the front, next to Bellamy.

I'd rather not be next to him but I didn't have much of a choice. Finn and I were the best trackers. We both needed to be up front and Bellamy was looking for his sister so of course he'd be in front.

My jaw dropped when I looked up.

The dark sky was suddenly covered in white lights. It looked a lot like a meteor shower. But it wasn't.

"Guys, guys," someone said. "Come here!"

"Did you see that?"

"Look up there."

"It's so beautiful."

"They didn't work," Raven said, joining us. "They didn't see the flares."

"A meteor shower tells you that?" Bellamy asked, looking over at her.

"It's not a meteor shower," I said, still looking up. "It's a funeral. Hundreds of bodies being returned to the Earth from The Ark. This is what it looks like from the other side."

I prayed that it wasn't my mom or my daughter or Tabs. I prayed I didn't know anyone. Tears were filling my eyes but I refused to let them fall.

"They didn't get our message," Clarke said, looking at Raven.

"This is all because of you," Raven exclaimed, stalking over to Bellamy. Finn and Clarke held her back though.

"I helped you find the radio."

"Yeah, after you jacked it from my pod and trashed it!"

"Yeah, he knows," Clarke said. She looked up at Bellamy. "Now he has to live with it."

"All I know is that my sister is out there and I'm gonna find her." He paused and looked at Finn. "You coming or what? What are we waiting for? Move out!"

He started walking away. I hurried through the crowd so I was right behind him.

I kept one knife out as I led the way. She was most likely somewhere along the path from camp to the pod. She either got lost or taken. Either way, I hoped to find a trail.

"Fan out," I yelled. "Keep heading toward the pod and keep your eyes open. Stay within shouting range."

I turned and stalked off through the trees. I didn't have a torch but I didn't need one. The moonlight tonight was enough to see well enough. Bellamy was right behind me though with one.

For about an hour, we walked in relative silence. Then I stopped.

"What?" Bellamy asked, looking at me.

I squinted, trying to see better. I grabbed his torch and leaned over the edge of the hill a little.

"There," I said, pointing.

"Over here," Bellamy called.

"Is it Octavia's?" I asked, looking up at him.

Others came quickly.

"Rope," he said, grabbing rope from someone. He tied that around a tree.

"What are you doing?" Finn asked.

"We need the rope to get back up," Bellamy explained.

He grabbed a flashlight and then he started down the hill, holding onto the rope. He made it down to the fabric quickly.

"It's hers," he said, grabbing it. Then he kept going. "I'm going all the way down."

I was next. I pocketed my knife and held onto the rope as well. The hill was very steep with lots of rocks. I didn't want to fall down it.

I felt the rope was lifted up again. I glanced back and saw Jasper was following.

"Blood?" I asked, looking over Bellamy's shoulder. He was kneeling next to a rock. His fingers were red.

"Someone else was here," Finn said, coming up behind Jasper.

"The prints are deeper going that way," I said, pointing toward the footprints. "He was carrying her," I finished, looking up at Bellamy.

That probably means she was unconscious. If she was still conscious, it would have at least been harder. We would be seeing more signs of struggle.

"If they took her, she's alive," Jasper said. "Like when they took us."

Bellamy did not look happy at this. He stood up quickly and the rest of us followed.

"Bellamy," I said, grabbing his arm. "She's a fighter."

"So are you," he said. "And you were still hurt."

"Hurt," I repeated. "Not dead. She's gonna be okay."

"You don't know that," he said softly.

"I do," I said. "It's a gut feeling." I smiled but he didn't return it.

Finn and I followed the trail the Grounder left. It was all pretty obvious. We were only walking for another hour or so when we stopped suddenly.


	25. Trespassing

"Oh that looks real creepy," I whispered, looking at the skeletons.

There were five or six skeletons hung up in trees. These people were long dead and long decayed. And they sent a clear message.

"I don't speak Grounder," Finn said, eyes wide. "But I'm pretty sure this means keep out."

"Let's get out of here," someone said. "It's crazy."

"I'm outta here," someone else said.

"Yeah, me, too."

"I'm out."

It was really creepy. I understand people not wanting to go.

"Go back if you want," Bellamy said, looking at the skeletons. "My sister, my responsibility."

I rolled my eyes and sighed.

"I'd walk into hell to find her," Jasper said, following.

Finn and I caught up.

"I think we just did," we both said at the same time. I smiled a little.

I quickly caught up to Bellamy and we walked in silence. The four of us walked on with four others following. So the eight of us walked through the creepy woods.

We were on the lookout for anything really. I honestly didn't know what to expect.

But I did expect something to happen. But dawn came and went and we were fine. We were just walking through the woods.

Finn and I both lost the trail long ago. But Bellamy wasn't going to stop.

"I got nothing," Finn said looking at me and Bellamy. I shook my head so he knew I didn't have anything either. "We lost the trail."

"Keep looking," Bellamy said, walking forward.

"Wandering around aimlessly isn't the way to find Octavia," I said. "We should backtrack-"

"I'm not going back," Bellamy snapped, looking at me.

I was about to respond when Roma spoke up. "Hey, where's John?"

"I just saw him a second ago," Jasper said.

"Spread out," Bellamy instructed. "He couldn't have gotten that far."

I was just about to backtrack a little when John dropped from the trees. I gasped when I saw his throat was slit. He was dead.

"They use the trees," I said, looking up.

I grabbed my knife and looked up. But I couldn't see anything.

"We shouldn't have crossed the boundary," Diggs said. I one hundred percent agreed.

"Now can we go back?" Roma asked.

"There," Jasper said, pointing one out.

He was just standing there. Maybe twenty yards away.

"Another one," Diggs said.

I turned. That one was getting in position but then didn't move after that.

"We should run," Finn said.

"Wait," I called. But they took off. I followed.

We needed to stick together. We needed to stand and fight. These guys are skilled killers. There was a reason they didn't attack us all at once. We needed to figure out why.

But everyone was running. I clutched my knife and ran.

"What are we gonna do? They keep heading us off," Diggs pointed out.

"Just keep running," Finn said, jumping over a log.

"I can't run much longer!" Jasper yelled.

I pulled to a stop, turning to look at him.

Diggs ran past me. "I'm not stopping for him!"

"I'm sick of running anyway," Bellamy said, stopping next to me.

"Hey, what are you doing?" Finn asked, grabbing his arm.

"They know where she is," he said, looking out at the Grounders.

"Diggs, where are you?" Roma called, running still.

"Roma!" Diggs yelled.

"Crap," I hissed.

We all took off after Roma.

"Wait, Roma," I yelled, slowing to a stop.

Diggs was dead. A booby trap. It speared him and Roma saw. She ran.

"Could be more," Finn called. "Stop."

"They were leading us here," Jasper said. "It's the only direction we could run in."

They wanted us to be killed by the booby traps. They didn't want to kill us themselves.

I clutched my knife and turned in a circle. I was ready to kill them so that we could find Octavia and get back to camp. I am sick of these booby traps.

"Hey," Finn said, looking around. "Where'd they go?"

"After Roma," I said, eyes wide. I took off after her. I tried to watch out for booby traps as I ran.

It took us a while to find her. We slowed down and looked for a trail. I paused when I saw a person leaning against a tree. We could only see their shoulder since they were leaning against the far side but I guessed it was Roma.

"There she is," Monroe said softly. "Roma," she whisper-yelled.

When Bellamy caught up, he walked right past us. I followed but still watched out for booby traps and Grounders.

When we got to the other side of the tree, we all stopped. Roma was dead. A spear was in her chest, pressing her against the tree.

"They're playing with us," Finn whispered.

Bellamy closed her eyes. "She only came because of me," he whispered.

"They can kill us whenever they want," Finn said, looking around.

"Then they should," Jasper started before yelling, "get it over with!" Finn tried to stop him. "Come on! We know you're out there! You want to kill us-"

"They're coming," Monroe yelled.

I pulled my arm back and let a knife fly, hitting a tree, right where one of them had been. I threw another one but that one just easily stuck in his shield.

"Sorry Roma," I said, grabbing the spear in her chest and pulling it out. I had to put my foot against the tree to get leverage but I got it out.

I flipped is so that I could get ready to throw it.

"Do you know how to use that?" Bellamy asked, glancing at me.

I smirked as one of the Grounders was just within reach of my throwing distance. I pulled my arm back and threw the spear.

I let go and watched it sail through the air. It hit the Grounder in the shield and the chest, knocking him back. I then pulled a knife from my boot, ready for another fight.

They weren't going to take me again.

I was about to throw a knife when I paused.

A horn was sounding. They stopped and ran away.

What?

"They're leaving," Bellamy said, looking confused. I was too.

"That horn," Jasper said. "What does it mean?"

"Acid fog," Finn said.

"We have to run," Monroe said.

"There's no time," Finn responded, shaking his head.

He laid out a tarp on the ground. He opened it up and motioned us in.

We all crawled in quickly and folded it back up.

Bellamy was on the end, then me, then Finn, then Jasper, and finally Monroe. We were all very close. I was practically under Bellamy, not fun.

For a minute or two, we laid there in silence.

How long until we know if it works?

I shifted a little.

"Stop moving," Bellamy hissed at me.

"Sorry," I snapped. "You are practically on top of me."

I shifted closer to Finn.

"Stop," Bellamy said, looking down at me. I could just barely see his face. He did not look happy.

For another minute, we were silent.

"How long are we supposed to wait?" Jasper asked.

"Will this even work?" Monroe pointed out.

I honestly had no idea. It's acid fog. I feel like a tarp is not really going to help.

"We'll find out," Finn sighed.

"No, we won't," Bellamy said, lifting it up before I could even say anything. "There's no fog."

"Maybe it was a false alarm," Finn said, standing up.

"They're coming back," Bellamy said.

I furrowed my eyebrows as I watched the lone Grounder. He didn't see us.

"I think he's alone," Jasper said.

"Now can we run?" Monroe asked. Run, no. But we could walk calmly back to camp. They'll be gone for a while and we have to watch out for booby traps. We've been lucky so far.

"He doesn't see us," I pointed out.

"I'm going after him," Bellamy said.

"And what?" I asked, looking up at him. "Kill him?"

"No," Bellamy said, shaking his head. "Catch him. Make him tell me where Octavia is, then kill him."

He started following.

"How do we know he's not leading us to another trap?" Jasper asked.

I sighed and followed.

"We don't," Finn said. He gathered up the tarp and followed us.

We followed at a distance. The Grounder never even looked back. It didn't take long to get to a cave.

"Wait," Finn said. "How are we gonna catch him?"

"I've got this," I said, twirling my knife.

"No," Bellamy said.

"You are no fun," I pouted. "I can totally take him."

"Stay behind me," he said. He stepped into the cave first.

There was a little tunnel to the living part of the cave. That was where we found Octavia chained to a wall with an unconscious Grounder.

"Bellamy?" She sounded so little.

"Octavia." He ran over to her, quickly kneeling next to her.

I looked around the cave. A pile of clothes in the corner caught my eye.

"My clothes," I whispered to myself, bending down. My jacket, my boots, my jeans. They were sitting in a pile in the corner of the cave.

I looked around confused. Bellamy and Octavia were having their moment. Monroe was watching the door. Jasper was looking around. Finn was looking at the Grounder. He knelt in front of him.

I walked over and knelt next to Finn.

"Finn. Cory. Move," Bellamy said. He wanted to kill this Grounder.

He showed me the horn.

"Foghorn," he said, looking up at me.

I didn't even have time to process that fact. The Grounder was suddenly leaping into action. He pulled a knife and slashed it, catching my cheek and stabbing Finn in the chest. He then pushed me to the side and tripped Bellamy.

The two were fighting over the spear and the Grounder was winning. I jumped up and grabbed a rock lying on the ground. I hit the Grounder over the head just in time and watched as he fell.

"Thanks," Bellamy breathed out.

"Whatever," I sighed.

The cut on my face was burning. It hurt a lot more than a regular cut. He must have cut deeper than I thought.

"Here," Bellamy said, fishing a cloth from his pocket. He handed it to me.

I took it and pressed it to my face.

"We need to get Finn back to Clarke," I said. "Let's go."

I grabbed my clothes quickly and headed to the entrance.

The others took a little longer. They chained up the Grounder.

But then we were heading back to camp. The fast walk back was uneventful. Jasper helped Octavia. Bellamy carried Finn. I led us back and watched out for more booby traps or Grounders. The way back wasn't nearly as long as the way there. The cave wasn't actually that far away, less than an hour.


	26. Getting Answers

"Clarke!" Jasper started yelling when we got to the gate. "Where's Clarke? Get Clarke now."

"Hey," she said, jogging over. "I'm here. What's up?"

Bellamy walked through with Finn. Some others took over for him.

"Finn," Clarke breathed, running over to him. "Finn? Oh, my God. Oh, my God." She felt for a pulse. I prayed. "He's alive."

"Cory wouldn't let me take the knife out," Jasper said, glancing over at me.

"No, that was a good call," she said, nodding at me. "Get him in the dropship now. Go!"

I led the way. I cleaned off a table quickly. I laid down a blanket and then they were putting Finn on it.

We waited until Clarke came in. She came in a minute later with Raven. Raven went straight to the radio while Clarke went straight to Finn.

We got off his jacket and cut away his shirt. Clarke wrapped a new cloth around the knife.

But that's all we could do.

We needed the radio to work.

The storm came out of nowhere. One second it was more or less fine outside. And the next, it was pouring rain.

People were running around, trying to get everything tied down or in the dropship.

"Are you sure you have the right frequency?" Monroe asked, standing next to the radio

"Yeah, I'm sure," Raven snapped, not even looking at her.

"Raven?" I said, putting my hand on her shoulder. "You can do this. Okay?"

She nodded and kept trying.

I leaned against the wall now. All I could do was wait.

"This is a restricted station." The radio worked. Someone heard us. "Who is this? Please identify yourself."

Raven perked up. Everyone else leaned in closer, excited. "This is Raven Reyes. I'm from Mecha Station. I'm transmitting from the ground. The hundred are alive. Please, you need to get Doctor Abby Griffin. Doctor Abby Griffin. Now."

"Raven, are you there?" It was Abby.

Raven flipped a switch and Clarke spoke. "Mom? Mom, it's me."

"Clarke?"

"Mom, I need your help," she said. "One of our people was stabbed by a Grounder."

We waited for Abby to respond. "Clarke," another voice said. "This is the Chancellor. Are you saying there are survivors on the ground?"

"Yes, the Earth is survivable. We're not alone." She paused. "Mom, he's dying. The knife is still in his chest."

"Clarke," Jaha said. "Is my son with you?"

Clarke had walked back to Finn but she paused and looked back toward the radio. "I'm so sorry. Wells is…Wells is dead."

There was a pause as we waited for someone to talk.

"I'm going to talk you through it, step by step," Abby said. "Clarke…just…find…" We couldn't understand the rest.

"What?" Clarke asked. "Raven what's wrong?"

"It's not the radio, it's the storm," Raven said, looking back at Clarke.

Octavia came back into the dropship. She had two containers in her hands.

"Ugh," Clarke breathed, opening a container and smelling it. "Monty's moonshine?"

"Pretty sure no germ could survive it," Octavia said with a little laugh.

"Storm's getting worse," Clarke said. "Monroe, close the doors."

"But we still have people out there," she replied.

"Monty and Jasper still aren't back yet," I added. "Neither is Bellamy."

"It's okay, they'll find somewhere to ride it out," Clarke said.

Raven came over with something in her hand. "One stitching needle."

"Great, I still need something to close the wound," Clarke said, taking the needle.

I moved toward the door. I hoped the others would get in here soon.

"There's some wire on the second level," Octavia said. "I used it for the tents."

"Let's see it," Clarke said.

"Stay away from the blue wires that run through the ceiling," Raven added. "I rigged it to the solar cells in the roof." She spoke louder and said, "That means they're hot! You got that?"

"Yeah, I got that," Octavia snapped.

Everyone was getting a little annoyed.

I gasped when I saw figures walking through the gates. "They're back," I called.

I frowned.

What was Bellamy doing? He walked through first. Right behind him were Nate and another guy dragging the Grounder from before. A few others followed but I basically ignored them.

"What are you doing?" I asked, as they threw him to the ground. He was blindfolded and his hands were tied behind his back.

"It's time to get some answers," Bellamy said, looking at Octavia instead of me. She had been climbing the ladder but stopped when they came in.

"Oh you mean revenge?"

"I mean intel," he said. He turned to Nate and the other guy. "Get him upstairs."

"Clarke," Abby called over the radio. "Okay we're ready. Can you hear me?"

Bellamy looked surprised. He didn't know the radio was working. I stepped forward and gave Clarke a look. She nodded slightly and went over to the radio.

I turned to Bellamy and sighed. "Look, this is not who we are."

"It is now," he snapped, walking away.

I debated following but I wanted to help Finn instead.

Clarke was talking to her mom when I walked over. She was talking about Finn's injury.

A small fight broke out. It was basically just two people pushing each other. I stepped in between them.

"Knock it off," I snapped. "Upstairs. Now." I turned to look around the room. "Everyone. Now. Go."

People started going upstairs. They didn't look happy but they were listening to me.

I turned back and saw Clarke was giving me a small smile. She was probably just about to ask for that.

"Anything I can help with?" I asked.

"I think Raven and I have it covered," Clarke said, looking at the wound. "Go watch them upstairs."

I nodded and climbed the ladder. I found that the second level was crammed full of people. The third level is where they were keeping the Grounder.

He had just woken up when I climbed up.

"Tie him tighter," Bellamy instructed. "The last thing we need is this bastard getting free because you screwed up."

"I told you he was protecting me," Octavia said, walking over. I followed her. "You didn't have to do this."

"This isn't about you," Bellamy said.

I raised my eyebrows but didn't say anything. I watched the Grounder.

"I'm doing this for all of us."

"You did that for all of us?" Octavia asked. The Grounder's face was very bloody.

"I did that for Finn and Cory and Jasper and Diggs and John and Roma." I looked at him when he said my name but he didn't even acknowledge me.

"It wasn't even him," I said.

"You don't know that!" Bellamy said, finally looking over at me.

"We need to know what we're up against," he said, looking between Octavia and I now. "How many there are and why they're killing us. And he's gonna tell us right now."

He walked over and Octavia tried to stop him. "No, Bellamy, please."

"Miller, get her out of here," Bellamy instructed.

Nate and another guy tried to drag her out of here. Since when was Nate part of Bellamy's crew?

"I was there," Octavia said. She struggled against them. "I-Hey, get…get off of me!"

I noticed the Grounder pulled at his restraints when they were trying to take her away. He wanted to help her. I think he likes her.

"I don't even think he speaks English," Octavia said, pausing at the ladder. "He won't understand you."

"Oh, I think he will," Bellamy said, looking at the Grounder.

"Cory," Nate started.

"Don't even try," I said, holding up a hand to him. I stepped closer to the Grounder.

He looked over at me. I studied him.

Was he one of the ones who took me? Was he the one I slashed in the stomach? Was he one that came later?

I stepped forward.

"Cory," Bellamy said, putting his arm up.

I glared up at him and pushed his arm away. I reached out and lifted up the Grounder's shirt. He had scars but nothing like what I gave the other Grounder. I dropped his shirt and looked up at him, tilting my head.

"You weren't the one I fought," I said. "But you had my clothes. Why? Did you come later? Did you help string me up?"

"Cory," Bellamy said, grabbing my arm.

I turned on him. "Why?" I asked him simply. "If he didn't hate us before, he sure does now. He didn't hurt Octavia; he healed her. He at least cares about her. Do you?"

I didn't give him a chance to reply. I pulled my arm out of his grip and took a few steps back, waiting.

"What's your name?" Bellamy asked, looking at the Grounder.

"He's not going to tell you," I said, watching the Grounder. He didn't even blink as Bellamy asked the question. I walked back over again. Apparently he can't do anything right by himself.

"You want to try?"

I was about to speak when there was a rumbling and the dropship jolted. I fell sideways, landing on Bellamy as we both fell to the ground.

"Sorry," I said quickly, pushing off of him. I quickly stood up. "You okay?" I asked, holding out a hand. He didn't say anything but did grab my hand. I helped him up.

"What was that?" Bellamy asked, looking at the others. "Go find out."

Someone started climbing down the ladder quickly.

"Are you okay?" he asked, softly. He looked down at me.

I nodded and stepped back a little.

"What the hell was that?" Bellamy asked when the guy came back. "We under attack or not?" He picked up a lantern that had been knocked over.

"Storm damage," the guy said. "We're ok."

"We're gonna try this one more time," Bellamy said, standing in front of the Grounder again. "What's your name?" He paused. "Where's your camp?" Another pause. "How many of you are there?"

"Hey," Nate said. "Check it out."

We all walked over and knelt down. Nate was holding a tin of small vials.

"What is all this stuff?" I asked, taking one out and looking at it.

"Hell knows with these people," Bellamy said, glancing at the Grounder.

Nate took the vial back. I rolled my eyes at him but he just cracked a small smile.

Bellamy grabbed a journal and started unwrapping it.

"Think we found something he doesn't want us to see, Miller," he said with a smirk.

"These aren't bad," I said with a smile. There were a lot of drawings of beautiful scenery. I gasped when I saw one of Octavia. I was right, he does like her. Bellamy did not look happy about that one.

"It's our camp," Bellamy said, flipping to a new page. "I'm guessing if I counted all those marks, it would add up to 102."

I looked down at the page. On one side was a pretty good drawing of part of our camp. The other page held tally marks with ten crossed out.

He shut the book and stood up. "That's how many people we've lost," he said, walking over. "They've been watching us ever since we got here."

I took the book from his hand and opened it to some more pages. They really were good drawings. Some of them confused me though, like one of a man covered in what looked like grass.

"What the hell is that thing?" someone asked, looking over my shoulder.

"Friend of yours?" Bellamy asked, looking at the Grounder.

I turned when I heard someone climbing up. It was Clarke. The guy, who I found was named Drew, was blocking her path.

"Get the hell out of my way," she said.

"Let her through," I said.

With a nod from Bellamy, Drew stepped to the side. I was getting really annoyed that they only listened to him.

"Well, if he didn't hate us before, he does now," Clarke said, stopping next to me.

I gave Bellamy a look. I wasn't alone in thinking that.

"Who cares?" Bellamy sighed.

"How's Finn?" I asked.

"Alive."

Bellamy pulled her away. I sighed and rolled my eyes.

"Cory," Nate said.

I looked at him.

"This is the right thing."

"Is it?" I asked, glancing up at the Grounder. "He's still a person."

"They're killing us."

"So we torture him?"

"We need information," he said.

"But is this the way?" I asked, pouting slightly.

I know we need information. We don't know anything about them but they seem to know everything about us. They are killing us. Maybe I'm killing a few too but my kills are only when they're trying to kill us. I think.

Am I as bad as them?

"Clarke," Raven yelled. "He's seizing!"

Clarke and I quickly ran to the ladder and climbed down. I heard the hatch close behind us but couldn't care less. They would open it for me again. I'd make sure of it.

"He was fine, then-" Raven started.

"Get my mother on the radio now," Clarke said. "Raven, now!"

"The radio's dead! Interference from the storm. Please don't let him die."

Clarke looked up at me with wide eyes. She didn't know if she could stop it.

"Okay," Clarke breathed after a couple seconds of just holding him down. "It stopped. Quick, help me get him on his side."

The two of them pushed him onto his side.

I was too busy trying to figure out what was happening.

One second, I was fine. The next second, I couldn't fill my lungs. I was getting lightheaded and sort of felt like throwing up. I was burning up and starting to sweat.

Add in Finn's seizing and I knew exactly what it was.

"It's poison," I said, eyes widening.

I grabbed the knife and ran for the ladder. I started climbing and didn't stop until I got to the closed hatch.

"They locked it," Monroe said.

I banged on the hatch. "Bellamy Blake open the door! Now!"

The door opened and I climbed up.

Nate blocked the way. I gave him a look and he moved. He knew this look and knew not to mess with me when I was wearing it. I stalked over to the Grounder.

"What is on this?" I asked, holding up the knife.

"What are you talking about?" Bellamy asked.

I watched as the Grounder didn't even react.

"It's poisoned," I explained. "He knew Finn was going to die. No matter what we did." I stepped closer so I was literally inches away from him. "What did you do? Which vial?"

I heard someone grabbing the vials.

I could feel myself growing faint, my vision blurring some more. My breathing got shallower as I continued. I think he noticed but he still didn't say a word.

"God," I groaned, stepping back. "What did we ever do to you? We're just trying to survive." I slammed my hand on his chest. "Why are you killing us?"

I stepped closer again and grabbed his chin, making him look me in the eyes.

I could hear the others behind me but no one physically tried to stop me.

"Finn and I are going to die. Do you even care?"

"Cory," Clarke said. I heard her step closer.

"What if it was Octavia?" I asked softly, looking right in his eyes.

I saw his eyes flash at her name.

But before I could do anything, I fell. I blacked out before I even hit the ground.


	27. The Prisoner

I blinked my eyes open.

"Welcome back," Octavia said with a small smile.

I smiled and sat up. I was on the first floor, lying in a hammock. "Where is everyone?"

"Finn woke about an hour ago and was moved to his own tent with Raven. Clarke is who knows where. Bell is upstairs, keeping me out. Miller told me to tell you he'd be back soon."

I climbed off the hammock and stretched.

"How long was I out?"

"Half a day," she said with a shrug.

I groaned. At least I got my rest from the last couple sleepless nights. "When'd the storm stop?"

"An hour or two ago."

"I'm gonna go check on our prisoner," I said. "I'll make sure he's okay."

Octavia smiled and shook her head. "I don't think Bell's gonna let you up there."

"Oh he'll let me up," I said with a smirk. "I'll see you later."

I climbed up the ladder and was greeted by a mad Bellamy.

"Move," I said. "I'm cleaning his wounds whether you want me to or not."

"He's a prisoner," he argued. "He doesn't get comfort."

"Oh? So Octavia shouldn't have gotten food and water in the Skybox? She shouldn't have gotten showers or trips to the doctor?" I raised my eyebrow at him.

He sighed. I had a point.

"Ten minutes," he said.

I nodded and walked over.

"Why are you helping him? He almost killed you."

I sighed, cleaning his facial wounds first. The Grounder pulled back a little but I held tight to his chin and cleaned his wounds anyway. Some were already cleaned. I'm guessing Octavia did that before she was kicked out.

"You won't let Octavia help," I said. "And she's broken up about it because he saved her life."

"He's the reason she was hurt in the first place," Bellamy snapped.

"No," I said, not turning around. I rinsed the rag. I almost had everything off his face. "After your guys' argument the other day, she ran off. She fell down a hill and hit her head. He brought her back to his cave and saved her life. She escaped and the spear that killed Roma was going to kill her. He saved her."

I paused and just looked at the Grounder's face.

"Because you like her," I whispered.

I saw his eyes flash and I couldn't help the smile that came to my face.

"What?" Bellamy asked, stepping closer.

I rinse the rag again. "Not for your ears," I said with a face.

"He doesn't understand you," Bellamy sighed.

"I think he does," I said with a small smile.

"So he wanted you to die," he said.

I shrugged. "Maybe."

I set down the rag. I only had a few more minutes left.

"And you are still helping him," Bellamy pointed out.

"Yes," I snapped. I paused by the canteen of water and the little bit of food. I looked up at Bellamy. "Kidnapping and torturing him is not helping anyone. He's not talking and I doubt he will. There people are professional killers. You don't think they've been tortured before? They probably have techniques to stop themselves from saying anything." I paused and grabbed the canteen. I glanced back up at Bellamy. "And are you just planning on letting him go? You're planning on killing him."

I turned and gave the Grounder some water. I wiped off his face when some drippled down his chin.

Bellamy scoffed when the silence stretched on. "You've killed more than any of us."

"I know," I said, putting the water down. I reached over for some food. "But the only times I've killed, are when they were trying to kill me. He," I said, pointing at the Grounder, "was doing the exact opposite of killing us. He saved Octavia. He doesn't deserve to die."

"He is keeping track of our dead," Bellamy snapped, picking up the book. He pointed to the page. "Why would he do that if he wasn't killing us?"

I shrugged. "I don't know. But I have to believe they're not all killers."

The Grounder refused the nuts I was offering. I shrugged and put them back down.

We were silent while I finished washing his face.

"Time's up," he said shortly.

"Fine," I sighed. I set down all the stuff and headed for the hatch. "But I will be back at some point."

"Yeah, yeah," he said, shaking his head. "Go away."

"Okay, bye," I said. I climbed down.

Octavia was still waiting on the first level.

"He's okay for now," I said. "I got him some water, tried to give him food, and cleaned him up a little."

"Thank you," she said.

I nodded and went to do something. I made sure to grab my bag before I left. I always kept it with me now. We'll probably go hunting soon if we haven't already.

Everyone was working on cleaning up camp. The storm did a number on the trees around us. The part of the wall we had up had stayed pretty nice.

Raven was just finishing up fixing the radio so that we could see them as well. She was almost done. We should be able to talk in an hour at most.

I found Clarke checking on Finn. She then wanted to check on me.

"I'm fine," I said with a smile. "The ground was surprisingly soft."

She looked at me, a little confused. "You never hit the ground. Bellamy caught you."

My jaw dropped a little. Bellamy Blake caught me? I just saw him and he didn't seem to care about me at all.

"Bellamy Blake?" I gasped.

She actually smiled. "Yes, Bellamy Blake."

She stepped back and looked at my cheek one more time.

"I want you to sit with me when I talk to the Council," she said.

"Why me?"

"You know more about a lot of stuff and…I just don't want to do it alone." She was looking at the ground, as if she was ashamed.

"Of course I'll go with you," I said with a smile. "When is it?"

"Tomorrow morning," she said. "They wanted to let the parents' of the dead know first. A few others get to talk with their families."

"Okay," I said with a nod.

"You're scheduled for just after the meeting," she said with a small smile.

"Thanks."

I exited the tent.

"We're going for a hunt," Bellamy said. "Two minutes." He kept walking, not even giving me a choice. It's not like I would have chosen differently.

"You're not going," Nate said. I looked up to see he was in front of me.

"Yes I am," I said, crossing my arms.

"You were poisoned," he snapped.

"Hours ago," I retorted. "I'm fine now."

"You collapsed."

"I didn't even hit the ground."

"That doesn't matter."

"Yes it does," I practically yelled.

"Cory," Bellamy said from behind me.

I took a breath and turned around.

"We're leaving."

"I'll be right there." I turned back to Nate. "I'll be fine."

I started to walk away.

"Cory," he called. I paused and turned around. "I just don't want to have to tell Peyton you died. I can't. I've already had to tell two families."

"I promise, I'll be fine," I said. I walked away.

I grabbed out a knife and caught up with the hunting party.

"Thanks," I said, not looking at Bellamy.

"For what?"

"For catching me last night," I said. I looked up at him with a smile.

He didn't respond and I rolled my eyes.

Some animals were still in their shelters. Some were coming out now. Some were already out.

"Why'd you let me come?" I asked. "Nate didn't want me to."

"You're one of the best hunters," he said simply.

I pulled my arm back and threw the knife. It pinned the now dead rabbit to the ground. I pulled out another knife and let that one fly when another rabbit tried to run.

"You've got that right," I said with a smile.

He laughed and grabbed the kill. I grabbed my knives.

We walked in silence. That was one thing I liked about him. He didn't talk a lot at times. I could just hunt in silence with him.

We got back just before nightfall. We four rabbits, three foxes, and a small boar.

We left those on the meat table and let those guys take care of them. They didn't look happy with us but one look from Bellamy and they complied. I felt bad and would have helped but Bellamy told me to rest. And he did it in his authoritative voice that told me he would tie me down if he had to.

So I somewhat did as I was told.

I went into the dropship and climbed to the third level. Nate was up there.

"Hey," I said with a smile.

"Hey," he said.

"I'm sorry." I sat next to him. "But look, I'm okay." I smiled wide. He couldn't help but smile at me then.

"Have you talked to your dad?"

"Yeah," he said with a nod. "You just missed him."

I pouted a little. "I'm seeing Mom and Peyton tomorrow. Maybe even Tabs."

He smiled.

"Clarke wants me to talk to the Council with her."

"About what?"

I shrugged. "Everything. They'll be coming down at some point so I know they'll want information."

"Well then go get some sleep," he said, pushing my shoulder a little.

"I just slept for like 12 hours," I exclaimed, hitting him back.

"After not sleeping for at least two and a half days," he countered.

"True," I said with a nod. "Fine. I'll see you later." I stood up. "Be nice to him."

I wasn't talking to him though. I was talking to the Grounder. I smiled at both of them.

"Bellamy told me about your head."

I leaned down and kissed the top of his head, over his hat. Nate was pretend glaring at me.

"Get out of here," he said, swatting at my arm.

"I'm going."

I climbed down the ladder. Murphy's tent had been taken down before the storm. I didn't know who took it or if someone else was using it now.

Nate was going to be up there most of the night and would probably just sleep up there. Who else did I know enough to share a tent with? No one.

"Need a place?" Bellamy asked.

"You guys took Murphy's tent," I sighed.

"Take mine," he said, nodding to it. "I'm on watch most of the night."

"Thanks," I said after a thought. Where else would I sleep? It's not like he'll be using it.

I went into his tent. Luckily no one else was in there, for like the first time ever.

I sat on the bed, which was surprisingly comfortable. I pulled off my boots and pulled back the covers. I had changed into my old clothes earlier. Now the clothes actually fit.

I pulled off my jacket though and threw that on top of my bag and my boots.

I fell asleep fairly quickly. Even with half a day of sleep earlier, I was still tired.

It felt like I was only asleep for a couple hours when I woke with a start.

I sat up quickly, pulled out my knife and looked around. Bellamy had just walked in and looked surprised to see I was awake.

"You sleep with a knife?" he asked, raising his eyebrows.

"You never know," I sighed. I slipped the knife back under his pillow. "I thought you were staying in the dropship."

"They've got it covered," he said with a shrug.

"Oh," I said simply. The bed was nice while I had it. I lifted the covers.

"You can stay," he said. He wasn't looking at me now. "I wasn't gonna sleep."

"Well that's stupid," I replied. "You should get sleep when you can. Especially because Nate is sacrificing sleep for you."

I swung my legs over the edge.

"I'll go find another bed."

It's not like we had a lot to spare, especially after the storm. But I could find something. Or I'd just go sleep by the fire.

"No," he said quickly.

I furrowed my eyebrows at him.

"I'll take the floor."

"It's your bed."

"You were there first."

I sighed and rolled my eyes. "Come on." I climbed back in bed and moved to the side. "Get in. But no funny business."

He hesitantly climbed in with me. The bed was just big enough for the both of us.

"Good night," I said, turning away from him.

"Night," he said softly.

I fell asleep again.


	28. The Meeting

I woke with a start…again.

I sat up quickly, Bellamy not far behind me.

Clarke was standing in front of the bed. She had wide eyes and looked very confused.

"Meeting's in five minutes," she simply said before ducking out of the tent again.

Bellamy quickly climbed out of the bed and started putting on his shoes. I did the same. I grabbed my jacket and then my bag.

"Thanks," I said with a small smile before I headed for the tent the radio was in.

I stepped in and Clarke was already there. She handed me a headset.

"That wasn't what it looked like," I said, sitting down. "He offered me his bed."

"And he just happened to be in it?" she asked. I could see she was trying to hide a smile.

"No. He wasn't supposed to…Why am I even explaining myself to you?" I asked, shaking my head. "Just don't go spreading rumors. I don't need anyone thinking I slept with him. I mean do you know how many girls he's been with since we've gotten here? Eww."

Someone cleared their throat. Clarke and I both looked at the screen. Jaha was just sitting down.

Clarke and I were blushing a little now. I don't know how much he heard.

"Clarke," he said with a nod and a small smile. It didn't reach his eyes. He did just learn his son died less than a day ago.

He looked at me, confused. He didn't know who I was.

"Cory Walker," I said with a smile.

"Cordelia, yes," he said with a nod.

"Cory," I repeated. The only person who can call me Cordelia is my mother and maybe on occasion Tabs.

"How is it down there?" he asked.

Clarke and I exchanged a look. I spoke up since it didn't look like she knew what to say.

"It's been tough," I said truthfully. "Foods been a struggle but I think we've got that under control now. Water is pretty easy, especially after the storm we just had. Shelter is more or less okay but it's starting to get cold. And there's the Grounders, of course. We've lost some people down here."

"The families have already been told," Jaha said with a nod.

I nodded. "But the Grounders are still out there and we have no idea what they want. Even when you guys come down, they'll still be a problem."

"You said you captured one," he said, looking at Clarke. "Has he been helpful?"

"No," Clarke said, shaking her head.

"Could he provide any insight on how to survive winter?"

"We're doing everything we can to prepare here," Clarke said. "We're gathering nuts and berries, curing meats, digging for roots, but the truth is, we'll freeze before we starve."

"There's good news on that front," Kane said. He held up a tablet in front of the screen. "According to civil defense plans from before the war, there's an old emergency aid depot not far from the landing site. Here are the coordinates."

I copied them down. I knew the area. It was only a couple hours away.

"In addition to supplies, it could provide shelter for the hundred and for the citizens coming down from The Ark," Jaha added.

"And what makes you think it's intact?" I asked.

"It was designed to withstand nuclear warfare," Kane said as if I was stupid. He hasn't seen things down here. It wasn't a stupid question.

"All right," I said with a nod. I glanced at Clarke. "It's worth a shot."

"Chancellor, I have to object," someone said. We couldn't see her. "Project Exodus is under way. The kids should sit tight in their camp until the first dropship launches."

I wanted to speak but she was talking to the Chancellor, not me. I didn't want to be too rude.

"Even if everything goes without a hitch, the hundred would die from exposure before relief arrives." He paused. "I'd like a moment with Clarke alone, please, and I know there's a line of parents waiting to talk to their kids."

"Wait right outside," Clarke said. "You'll be next."

I couldn't help the smile. I stood up and exited the tent. I waited right outside, twirling a knife.

"You're turn," Clarke said, walking away.

I hurried inside and put the headset on.

"Oh Cory," mom cried, putting a hand to her mouth. "What happened?"

I realized I probably didn't look the best. I should have tried to clean up a little. The left side of my face was a little cut up. I had the three scratches from the panther and now the cut from the Grounder. I could have at least worn my hair down.

"I'm fine," I sighed, shaking my head. "We're not alone here. They're not very welcoming."

"They're hurting you?" she gasped, covering her mouth.

"Mom, I'm fine," I said, shaking my head. "I promise. I'm fine."

"Oh God," she sighed. "I was talking with Abby a couple days ago, when your wristband stopped transmitting. I thought you were dead."

I smiled a little. "Can't get rid of me that easily. We tried to make a radio and failed."

I looked down at the wristband still on my wrist. I hadn't taken it off, hoping it was still transmitting up to the Ark.

"Where's Peyton?" I asked, leaning forward a little.

Mom smiled. She turned and motioned someone over.

Peyton ran over and jumped on her lap. She leaned forward and put her hands on the screen.

"Mommy," I heard her cry. "Where are you?"

"Baby," I said. "Mommy's on Earth."

"Earth?" she gasped.

"You remember the stories?"

She nodded.

"It's even more beautiful," I said with a smile. "And you'll be able to see soon."

"Soon?" she repeated.

I nodded.

"Mommy?"

"Yeah baby?"

"Are you okay?"

I smiled, tears filling my eyes a little. I nodded. "I'm okay baby."

"Stay safe," Mom said. "We'll be down soon in the first dropship."

My family was going to be here in a few days. Mom got to be on the first ship because of her Earth expertise. Peyton just got to come along for the ride.

"What's it like?"

"Mom, it's amazing," I said, shaking my head. I didn't even know what to tell her. "The air, the trees, the water. It's all so perfect."

"I can't wait," she said with a little laugh. Peyton clapped her hands in excitement. "Someone else wants to see you so we'll let you go. We love you."

"I love you, Mommy," Peyton yelled, waving. She blew me some kissed.

I laughed and blew some back. "I love you guys."

They stood up and someone else sat down. I barely recognized her. But I could never forget my best friend.

"Tabs," I cried. "Oh my God."

Tears were streaming down her face. "Cory."

"You've aged," I said with a little laugh.

Now she was crying and laughing. "You too. What happened to your face?"

"Angry panther and angrier Grounder."

"Grounder?"

"Tabs, we aren't alone here. There are these people here. They've already killed some of us and I think they're going to kill more."

"You have to be careful," she said, wiping her eyes. "Promise me."

"I promise," I sighed. "I'm not the weak little 12-year-old you remember. I can kill animals and people if I have to. God, I have so many stories."

"The second I come down-"

"Cory," a voice said. I turned to see Bellamy poking his head into the tent. "Clarke wants you."

"Be there in a minute," I said with a nod.

"Who was that?" Tabs gasped. "He was hot."

"Yeah, that's Bellamy," I said with a laugh. "He may be hot but he thinks he's the boss," I said. "And he's annoying."

"So you're not with that hottie? God, I would totally have hit that." I couldn't help laughing at that. "Please tell me you're with a hottie."

"I was with a hottie," I said with a small smile. "Remember John Murphy?"

"No way," she gasped. "I should have gotten arrested."

"No," I said, shaking my head. "It may be cool down here and there may be hot guys-"

"Like Bellamy," she pointed out.

"Like Bellamy," I repeated with a nod and a smile.

Her eyes went wide. She was looking at something.

I turned around and saw Bellamy. He had a smirk on his face.

I swallowed. "Yes?"

This is awful. He now knows I think he's hot. He's going to hold that over my head now.

"Clarke wants you to hurry up."

"You her messenger boy now?" I asked, tilting my head to the side. He went from smirking to glaring in a flash. "Tell her to hold her horses. Now shoo."

I turned back to Tabs.

"I've gottta go."

"I can't wait until I'm down there," she sighed. "Be careful, okay? I want to see you in one piece."

"Of course, your Majesty," I said with a mock bow.

She laughed. "Bye Cory."

"Bye Tabs."

I stood up. I glanced at the list. Dax was next.

"Dax," I called. I remembered seeing him at the meat station. "You're turn," I said when I found him.

I found Clarke after that.

"I want you to come to the depot with us," she said right away.

"Us?"

"Bellamy and I," she clarified.

I sighed. Of course I'd be him. "Okay. Let me grab some stuff."

I filled up my water and grabbed some food. I found Clarke and Bellamy by the gate.


	29. Time To Fight Back

Bellamy was smirking again.

"Don't say a word," I said, walking past him.

Clarke raised her eyebrows but didn't say anything.

"The walk should only be four hours at most," I said. "But we should hurry still. We want to try to make it back before dark."

I pulled out a knife and started a fast pace.

"Trying to run away?"

"Shut up," I sighed. "That was a private conversation."

"Who was it?"

"My best friend," I said, looking up at him. "I haven't seen her in five years."

"And the first thing you talk about is me?" He found this so amusing.

"If you didn't interrupt me, we would have just been talking about Earth. But the second you walk in, hot guys are all she wants to talk about." I sighed and shook my head. That was Tabs for you. She was a girly girl at times and she loved girl talk, especially when it was about guys.

I turned to him and glared. "You know I can hurt you and will if you say anything about this conversation."

He just smirked in response. I looked back forward and kept walking.

We were silent for a few minutes.

"You gonna talk to anyone?"

"Don't have anyone but O," he said with a shrug. He climbed over a log and offered a hand. I took it and let him help me over as well.

"So you're not going to talk to Jaha?"

He grew serious. "No." He walked away quickly.

I fell in step with Clarke.

"What happened?"

"He overheard me talking with my friend," I said. I made a face. "I may or may not have called him hot."

She cracked a smile.

"Are you gonna tell him you like him?"

"What?" I gasped, nearly tripping on my face. I glanced up at Bellamy but he was a few yards ahead of us. "I do not like him. I can't stand him actually."

"So that's why you were sharing a bed?"

"I told you that wasn't what it looked like," I sighed. "Are you ever going to let that go?"

"Probably not," she said with a smile.

We didn't talk again until we were at the bottom of a steep hill. We had to concentrate on that rather than talking. I didn't want to fall. That'd be pretty awkward and I'd probably hurt my ankle again.

"You talked to your mom yet?" I asked when we got to the bottom.

"No," she said. She sped up, nearly catching up to Bellamy.

Well, that leaves me in the back. We walked in silence basically the rest of the way. For three hours, we walked in silence. I was slowly going out of my mind. We were almost there when Clarke spoke up.

"You know, the first dropship is gonna come down soon," she said. "Pretty sure you can't avoid Jaha forever."

"I can try."

"The depot is supposed to be around here somewhere," I said. "There's got to be a door."

"Maybe he'll be lenient," Clarke said.

"Look," he said, turning toward her. "I shot the man, Clarke. He's not just gonna forgive and forget." He paused and looked around. "Let's just split up, cover more ground. Stay within shouting distance."

I sighed and headed down the hill. I made sure to be careful. Since I got to Earth, my ankle's been a bother. Either it's sprained or healing. I didn't want to hurt it again.

After a half an hour, I found a door.

"Over here," I yelled. "I found a door."

I tried pulling on it as the other two came over.

"I think it's rusted shut."

"Here," Bellamy said. "Watch your foot."

He used his axe to hit the rusty spot, breaking the hinge. The three of us worked to lift it up.

We all climbed down slowly. Clarke handed Bellamy and I flashlights.

"Really think this place hasn't been touched since the war?" Bellamy asked, looking around.

Honestly, it looked like it. There were cob webs everywhere. It smelt awfully stale, like the door hadn't been opened in a long time.

"A girl can dream," Clarke said with a shrug. "Come on."

There was a skeleton on the stairs. "Hell of a place to die," Bellamy said.

"So much for living down here," I said, wrinkling my nose. "This place is disgusting."

We continued walking around.

"Anything left down here is ruined," I said, noticing the water.

"They must have distributed most of the supplies before the last bombs went off," Clarke said.

Most of the barrels and boxes looked to be empty. And there weren't that many to begin with.

"Hey, I found blankets," Clarke said, opening a box.

"Excited about a couple of blankets?" Bellamy scoffed.

"Well, it's something," she said.

"How about a canteen or a med kit or a decent fricking tent?"

He stormed off. I just rolled my eyes and continued looking for things. I jumped a little when he knocked over a barrel.

My eyes widened when I saw guns poking out of the tipped over barrel. I came over and knelt next to Bellamy.

"Oh my God," I breathed, looking at them.

"What?" Clarke asked, hurrying over.

Bellamy showed her the gun. We all just looked at each other for a second. This is a total game changer. The Grounders don't have guns, that we know of at least. We could actually win this. We could survive.

"This changes everything," Bellamy said, standing up. He grabbed a sheet and hung it over the doorway. "No more running from spears." He turned back to us. "Ready to be a badass, Clarke?"

"Look," she sighed. "I'm not gonna fight you on bringing guns back to camp. I know we need them, but don't expect me to like it."

"We're lucky the rifles were packed in grease. The fact that they survived means we're not sitting ducks anymore. You need to learn how to do this. Both of you."

I wrinkled my nose when he added me into it. I would rather stick to my knives.

Clarke looked at me, motioning me to go first. I sighed and lifted the gun. I honestly didn't know how to hold it. I hadn't learned anything about guns.

"So, like this?"

"Yeah, just a little higher now, that end," he said, putting his hand on my shoulder as the other lifted the gun a little. He quickly pulled back and cleared his throat. "Uh, that's good. Uh, watch and learn."

I stepped to the side as he picked up a gun. I watched as he aimed at the target. He's done this before. Most of the time, I forget about the time he was a cadet. He already knows how to use a gun.

He clicked but nothing happened. He messed with the gun and tried again.

"Still watching," I said with a sigh.

"My bullets are duds," he said, standing up straight. "Try yours."

I got in position and took a deep breath. I squeezed the trigger. The gun hit my shoulder and the bullet hit near the middle of the sheet.

I sighed, straightening up.

"That was good," Bellamy said. I looked back at him and he looked surprised.

"Your turn," I said, looking over at Clarke. I handed her my gun since we knew it worked already.

Bellamy helped her get into position and she pulled the trigger. She hit the edge of the sheet but I could see she was smile.

"That was amazing." She laughed a little before she turned back to us. "Am I horrible for feeling that?"

"Try again," Bellamy said with a slight smile.

"No," Clarke said, shaking her head. "We shouldn't waste the ammunition."

"You need to practice," he said. He was right. Guns were useless if we didn't know how to use them.

"No," she said, shaking her head again. "We need to talk about how we're gonna keep guns around camp, where are we gonna keep them, and who has access. You left Miller in charge of the Grounder. You must trust him."

I perked up when I heard Nate. Was he that close to Bellamy? When did that happen?

"You should keep him close," he said with a nod. He was looking right at Clarke, not bothering to look at me even though Nate is my friend. "The others listen to him."

"I should keep him close?"

"Bellamy, what's going on?" I asked, stepping closer. "You've been acting weird all day. All the rations you took." I paused. "You're gonna run."

"That's why you agreed to come with me," Clarke said, catching on. "You were gonna load up on supplies and just disappear."

"I don't have a choice," he said, looking down. "The Ark will be here soon."

"So you're just gonna leave Octavia?" I asked, raising my eyebrows. He came here for her and now he's just gonna leave her?

"Octavia hates me," he said, shaking his head. "She'll be fine."

"You don't know-"

I was cut off when Bellamy said, "I shot the Chancellor. They're gonna kill me, Cory. Best-case scenario, they lock me up with the Grounder for the rest of my life, and there's no way in hell I'm giving Jaha the satisfaction." He put the gun down. "Keep practicing. I need some air."

He walked out past the sheet.

I groaned, "Idiot."

I turned to Clarke. "I'm gonna go look around some more. Maybe I can find some more blankets."

I grabbed a flashlight and walked away. I checked a few more boxes but nothing was useful.


	30. Just A Nightmare

I turned and gasped. "Daddy?"

There was my dad, standing right in front of me. He looked just like I remembered.

I launched myself at him, wrapping my arms around him and burying my face in his chest. I cried into his chest.

"I'm sorry," I cried. "I'm so sorry."

"Baby," he said, pushing me back and leaning down so he could look me in the eyes. "You have nothing to be sorry for. You're my daughter. I will always put you first."

"I killed you," I cried, tears streaming down my face.

"No," he said, shaking his head. "That guard killed me the second he put a hand on you." He suddenly straightened up. "I love you precious."

"I love you too, Daddy," I cried. "I miss you."

"Don't you worry," he said with a smile. "I'm never too far away." He put his hand over my heart.

I looked down with a smile but when I looked back up, the smile fell from my face. My dad was gone again.

"Cordelia Walker," a voice said behind me.

I turned around so quickly, I almost fell.

There he was, standing not even ten feet away. He had a gun in his hand and a smirk on his face.

He slowly walked over to me, one foot in front of the other. I couldn't move. Why couldn't I move? I can now kick his ass a hundred different ways. But I just stood there.

He brought his free hand up and softly stroked the right side of my face.

"Now we can be together forever," he whispered with a smile.

I couldn't even speak. I tried to swallow the lump in my throat but I couldn't.

Faster than I thought possible, he grabbed my waist and turned me around. He pressed his chest against my back and licked the shell of my ear. I shuddered but still could not bring myself to move.

"We're gonna have so much fun," he whispered. He kissed my shoulder before he brought the gun up, pointing it off down the hallway.

What was he doing? Who was he aiming at?

"Mommy?"

No. Not Peyton.

But there she was, stepping out of the shadows. She looked so shy and timid, very unlike the little girl I know.

There was a bang and she dropped to the ground.

"No," I screamed. But I still couldn't move.

Then my mom stepped from the shadows, and Tabs and Nate and Murphy and Bellamy and Clarke and Finn and Jasper and Monty and Octavia and so many more.

And one by one, they all fell to the ground. They were all dead.

"No," I screamed again.

I couldn't stop crying and screaming. I couldn't do anything for them because I couldn't move.

"You killed them," he whispered.

I blinked and suddenly I was holding the gun. I whipped around and saw that he was gone. They were all dead. And it was because of me.

"You killed me." I turned around and saw they were all standing with bullet holes in their foreheads and blood streaming down their face.

"You killed us," Peyton said.

"No," I breathed. "No, no, no. I just wanted to help."

"There's only one way you can help," Mom said, stepping up next to Peyton.

"Put that gun to your own head," Tabs said.

Now I couldn't breathe. That's not what she thought. They didn't want me to kill myself. They wouldn't want that.

"No," I breathed.

"The only way," they all said. "The only way. The only way."

Tears were streaming down my face as I held the gun to my head.

"I'm sorry," I whispered.

I screamed when I pulled the trigger. I dropped to the ground with my eyes closed.

"Cory," a voice called. I heard hurried footsteps.

I looked up, panting as Bellamy ran through the doorway. He dropped to his knees in front of me.

He was alive. I didn't kill him.

I threw my arms around him and cried into his shoulder.

"Cory, it's okay," he murmured. "It wasn't real."

After a few minutes, I sniffled and pulled back.

"Sorry," I whispered. I stood up and wiped my face.

"You want to talk?" Clarke asked, putting her hand on my shoulder.

I shook my head. "I'd prefer never talking about it again." I gave her a tight smile and grabbed my flashlight. It was sitting on top of a box where I'd put it before the nightmare began.

"Let's get back to camp then," Clarke said.

I nodded and walked past the two. I made it back to where the guns were. We tied them together and slung them over our backs. The blankets were gathered up in a tarp and Bellamy carried that back.

We walked back in silence. I was the one leading this time, walking as quickly as I could. I didn't want to talk.

I didn't even want to think about it.

But I couldn't ignore the questions swirling around in my head. Why did I see my dad? Why the guard? Why couldn't I move? Is that what's going to happen when I see him again? Is that what I'm afraid of? Am I afraid that I'll be the reason my family and friends die? I've already killed one. What's to stop me from killing more?

"Cory," Clarke tried maybe an hour into the trip.

I didn't reply. I just walked a little faster, climbing the hill.

We made it back to camp in record timing. At this point, they'd caught up to me. I slowed down, still slightly afraid the nightmare wasn't just a nightmare.

But it was. Everyone was shaken up but fine. They must have eaten the nuts as well. That and the Grounder escaped, most likely Octavia's doing.

"Let the grounders come," Bellamy said, stopping in the middle of camp. I stopped behind him and looked at the ground, not wanting to look up. "We've been afraid of them for far too long, and why? Because of their knives and spears. I don't know about you. I'm tired of being afraid."

I heard their guns hit the ground. Everyone was amazed.

"These are weapons, ok, not toys," Clarke said, lecturing everyone. "And we have to be prepared to give them up to the guard when the dropships come, but until then, they're gonna help keep us safe."

"And there are plenty more where these came from," Bellamy said. We'd only been able to take a dozen or so. "Tomorrow we start training, and if the grounders come, we're gonna be ready to fight."

Everyone looked around at each other.

I sighed and put my guns down. I made my way over to Nate.

I wrapped my arms around him.

"Are you okay?" he asked, rubbing my back.

"No," I whispered.

"What happened?"

I just shook my head.

"The nuts?"

I nodded.

"It wasn't real."

"I know."

For a little while longer, we just hugged each other. Nate pulled back. I looked up at him but he was looking behind me.

I turned to see Bellamy.

"I'm…uh…I'm going to talk to Jaha," he said.

"Good," I said with a nod. "It'll be okay."

"I was…uh…wondering if you'd come," he said.

"Sure." I turned to Nate. "I'll see you later."

He nodded and walked away.

I followed Bellamy but he paused by a pile of blankets. He looked around before grabbing one.

"I'll be right there," he said.

I nodded with a small smile as I saw him walk over to his sister.

I walked over to the tent. Clarke was there.

"Jaha will be here soon," she said. "It's nice that you're doing this for him."

"He may be a jerk," I said. I shook my head. "But he doesn't deserve to die. None of us do."

I sat in one of the chairs, waiting with one of the headsets on already. Clarke stood near the entrance.

"Clarke," Jaha said, sitting down. "Cory." He nodded at me.

"I'll go get him," Clarke said.

I nodded and waited.

"Are you alright?" Jaha asked.

"I'm fine," I said, not looking at him.

Bellamy walked in then. I looked up with a smile and handed him the other headset. He sat down. He looked nervous. I put my hand on top of his and squeezed it.

"Mr. Blake," Jaha said. "I've wanted to talk to you for some time now."

"If you don't mind," I said, sitting up a little straighter. "I'd like to say something first."

Jaha nodded and sat back a little.

"You sent us down here to die," I said. "But…most of us are still alive. I hate to admit this." I smiled and looked over at Bellamy. "But in large part, that's because of him. He's kept us alive these past couple weeks. If he had been a few years younger, he would have been pardoned like the rest of us. Well, he's one of us and he deserves to be pardoned as well."

He nodded slowly. "I appreciate your point of view. But it's not that simple."

"It is," Bellamy said, "if you want to know who on The Ark wants you dead."

He paused. For a few seconds, I didn't think he'd go for it. Then he sighed. "Bellamy Blake, you're pardoned for your crimes." He leaned forward. "Now, tell me who gave you the gun."

"Commander Shumway," he said.

"Thank you, Mr. Blake," he said with a nod. "Good night."

He stood up and left.

I turned to Bellamy with a smile. "How's it feel being a free man?"

"Thank you," he said, putting the headset down.

"Anytime," I replied. I put my headset down and stood up as well.

I ducked out of the tent. I now needed to find a place to sleep.

"Cory," he said, grabbing my arm. "The tent next to mine is free. You and Miller can take it."

"Thanks," I said with a smile. "Good night."

He nodded and let go.

I found Nate and we walked to our new tent together. I wrapped myself in a blanket and snuggled in for the night.

"Are we gonna talk about it?" Nate asked.

"No."


	31. Hard Work

The next morning, I woke up when Bellamy came in. Nate was already gone.

"We're training in five," he said.

I groaned and sat up.

"You okay?" he asked, already lifting the entrance, ready to go.

I nodded. "I'm fine. Just tired, I guess."

I pulled back the blanket and started putting my shoes on.

"I can come back later."

"No," I said, standing up. I grabbed my jacket and walked over to him. "I'm fine."

"It's okay if you're not," he said.

"I'm fine," I repeated.

We walked over to the crowd. Bellamy walked to the front and I followed.

"Listen up," he said when he stepped up on a box. "We're gonna do this in a civilized manner. The station you were assigned to yesterday is still your station. We'll bring the whole station over to practice. We don't want to waste too many bullets so concentrate. Meat crew's up first. Everyone else, get to work."

He stepped down and looked at me.

"You can pick a station."

"Can I hunt?" I asked, looking up at him.

He sighed. "Take Miller with you."

I nodded and went to go find Nate. He was near the front of the crowd, watching the guns.

"Hey," I said with a smile. "Bellamy said I could go hunting but only if you come with."

He sighed. "Let's go."

My smile widened. I could always count on him.

We walked in silence for a while. I didn't realize where we were going until I saw the waterfall.

"Wow," Nate said beside me.

I smiled. "Come on."

We walked over and I took off my jacket. It was a little chilly but I needed to wash my clothes again. I've only been wearing these for a couple days but they needed washing still.

I washed my sweatshirt, my t-shirt and my pants. I hung those up. Nate did the same.

I squealed when the water hit me. It was cold.

"What was that?" Nate asked with a laugh.

"It's cold," I said. "Really cold."

He laughed. I grabbed his arm and pulled him under as well. He gasped.

For a little while we ran around, under the waterfall and through the pond. We were laughing. It felt nice.

"You know I got the panther right over there," I said, pointing across the water. "And it got me as well." I pointed to my face.

"It's healing," he said with a shrug.

"Not fast enough," I pouted. "I scared my mom."

He laughed. "She worries about you."

"I know," I said with a smile. "They're coming down soon."

"Dad too," he said. "First dropship comes in less than a week."

"How are we gonna be ready by then?" I asked, looking over at him. "We're at war with the Grounders."

He shrugged. "We've got the guns now. We'll be okay."

"What if it's not enough?" I asked. "What if the Grounders attack and…everyone is killed?"

He was silent for a minute. "Is this about the other day?"

I nodded. "I just don't want anyone else to die. Especially not my friends."

He put his hand on my knee. I looked over at him. "That's not gonna happen. You'll go all ninja warrior on them and they will regret the day they chose to fight us."

I couldn't help the smile.

I jumped up and grabbed one of my knives. I started throwing it at a tree. I hit it every single time.

"So you learned all of this in solitary?" he asked, coming up behind me.

I nodded. "My bed was supposed to be screwed to the floor but they were loose. I got all four screws out and sharpened them against the ground. I would throw them at my pillow every single day. I got pretty good."

"I'll say," he said. He threw one and it stuck. "Anything else I should know about your time in solitary?"

I shrugged. "Bellamy Blake was a cadet a year ago. He would sit outside my room every single day. We'd just talk for a half an hour. But he was so nice and he loved to talk about gossip. Not the same guy you know."

"Do you like him?"

I nearly dropped my knife. "Why would you think that?"

"I may have talked to Clarke."

"That was not what it looked like and I'm not going to even try explaining it to you since you look like you're not gonna listen anyway." He laughed. "I'm starting to like him as a friend, okay? Long way from actually liking him."

"Okay, okay. Sorry I asked."

We threw knives in silence for a little while.

"Will you tell me about Bryan?" I asked. "I never got to meet him."

Nate nodded and leaned against the tree. "But you will meet him when they come down in…maybe a month."

"He will be the…fifth person I hug," I said with a nod. Of course Peyton, Mom, Tabs and David are in front of him.

Nate laughed. "It's kind of a funny story." He scratched the back of his neck, looking at the ground. I could see the smile on his face though. "Tabs sort of knew him since he was from her station. She knew he was gay and thought that he liked me. So she dared me to kiss him. I walked up to him, tapped him on the shoulder…and I kissed him."

I couldn't help but laugh. "That is so adorable. I wish I had been there."

"Yeah," he said, looking up. "We've been dating ever since. Almost three years."

"I can't wait to meet him," I sighed. "You guys sound so cute."

"Uh…"

"Okay," I sighed. "Adorable?"

He pushed my shoulder and walked back to our clothes. They were mostly dry.

We put them on and decided to actually try to hunt now.

We talked a little while we walked but were mostly quiet. We got four rabbits and two foxes.

"We should get back," I said.

"Come on."

When we got back, I helped the meat crew.

After dark, Bellamy came to find me.

"You didn't want to train?"

I shook my head, focusing on the rabbit.

"Everyone else did."

"That's nice."

"What's up?"

"Nothing," I said, finally looking up at him. "I just don't want to use a gun. I'm perfectly fine with knives."

He sighed. "It's not practical."

"I don't care," I sighed.

He grabbed my arm, making me drop the rabbit and the knife. He pulled me away from the group and practically shoved me into my tent.

"What?" I crossed my arms and jutted out my hip, looking up at him.

"What happened yesterday?" He was not going to drop it.

I sighed and sat on the edge of my bed. "I shot…everyone," I breathed. "That's what I saw. And I can't hold a gun…not now."

"Why didn't you just tell me?" he asked. He knelt down in front of me.

"It didn't actually happen," I said. "It was all in my mind. But I still can't do it."

"You don't have to," he said.

"Thanks." I smiled a little.

He nodded and stood up.

"Good night," I called.

He smiled back at me before leaving.

I fell asleep quickly after that.

The next two days were pretty chill. Everyone worked on their different tasks. I worked on making weapons. Guns can only go so far and we don't want to waste bullets on food.

I worked from dawn until dusk. I made knives, spears, another bow, two dozen arrows. I took some breaks to help Raven with bullets. It's a little dangerous but not hard work.

I did get to take a break and talk to Tabs and Peyton again. Nate came with and I got to meet Bryan.

"Hey," I said, sitting down.

"You look worse," Tabs commented.

"Thanks," I said, flatly.

"Are you sleeping okay?"

"I'm fine, Tabs," I sighed, shaking my head.

"Hey," Nate said, walking in. He put the headset on. "How are you?"

"I am wonderful," Tabs said. "I get to see my two best friends. My goddaughter is walking over to me right now with my best friend's boyfriend."

Nate and I exchanged a look. Who was Peyton with?

A guy about our age sat down with a smile. He was awfully cute.

"Mommy," Peyton yelled. She leaned forward, almost falling off the guy's lap, but he caught her first. "Uncle Nate!"

"Hi baby," I said with a smile and a wave. "You being good?"

She nodded quickly and sat back a little.

"Uh…anyone gonna introduce me?" I asked, looking at the guy.

"Cory, this is my boyfriend, Bryan."

"Oh," I gasped. "Oh. Hi!"

We all laughed.

"Okay now I need to know," Tabs said, leaning forward. "How did Bellamy react?"

"To what?" Nate asked.

"He walked in on Tabs and I talking," I said. "I may have called him hot. And he may have heard me."

"And what happened?" Tabs asked.

"I threatened him and I don't think he'll be saying anything about it," I said with a smirk.

"Where did my shy little Cordelia go?" she asked with a laugh.

"She's back on the Ark still," I said. "You've got the new and improved Cory now." I posed.

"And is this new and improved Cory going to get herself a man?"

"I already told you," I sighed. "I had Murphy."

"And what happened?"

"He was almost hanged and then wanted revenge and was banished," Nate explained.

There was silence for a few seconds.

"What?" Bryan asked, confused.

"This girl killed Wells, remember him? And Clarke thought it was Murphy since his knife was found by Wells' fingers. Everyone was calling to float him and so they hanged him. But then the girl confessed and they cut him down. Then he went out looking for her since Finn and Clarke ran with her. But she jumped off a cliff and they banished Murphy because of that. It all sucks…yes," I explained more in depth.

"Earth is crazy," Bryan sighed, shaking his head.

"Are there flowers?" Peyton asked, leaning forward again.

I laughed. Of course she'd change the subject.

"There are a lot," I said. "And I will pick the prettiest one for you when you come down."

She clapped her hands. "Are there butterflies?"

I nodded. "And they glow in the dark."

Tabs raised her eyebrows.

"Bunnies?"

I nodded. I thought back to the rabbits we killed yesterday. Nate and I exchanged a glance, thinking the same thing.

"Time's up," someone said on their end.

"We've got to go," Bryan said. "But it was nice to meet you Cory."

"Oh yeah," I said with a smile. "Nice to match a name to a face."

"We will talk again soon," Tabs said. "And I want to hear progress with Bellamy."

"There will be no progress," I said, shaking my head with a laugh.

"Bye Mommy," Peyton yelled. "Bye Uncle Nate!"

"Bye baby," I said, waving and blowing kisses. "I love you."

"Love you too," she said, blowing me a kiss as well.

"Bye doll," Nate said, waving. He looked at Bryan as Tabs and Peyton walked off screen. I took off my headset.

Bryan said something to Nate. "Alright, alright. Yeah, love you too. Bye."

He took his headset off as Bryan disappeared.

"He was so cute," I hissed. "I didn't think you had it in you." I laughed.

"No crushing on my boyfriend," he said with a smile.

"I've got someone else in mind," I said with a smirk.

"Who?" Monty asked, popping up just outside the tent.

"Yeah, who does Cory like?" Jasper asked. He slung an arm over my shoulder.

"I'm pretty sure you already know," I said, giving him a look. "I did sleep with him for close to two weeks."

"Oh." They both walked away after that.

I ate some food, small rations since I didn't do much that day. Then I went to sleep.

The third day was Unity Day. We were going to celebrate it down here in our own way.


	32. Unity Day

Unity Day started like any other day. I woke up, got dressed, ate a little bit of food.

They were going to have the ceremony on the Ark still. It was going to be late morning so I had a couple hours until it started.

I went for an early morning hunt with Bellamy. We left at dawn and came back before noon.

We were silent most of the way. We killed a single pig before we turned back. We couldn't find many animals but we did find a big pig for Unity Day.

"It's been calm," I said, looking around.

"Too calm?"

"Yeah. It's been days and…nothing."

"Let's not question it," Bellamy said, shaking his head.

"Yeah," I said with a nod. "I'm not going to stress anything. My family will be down in a few days. Everything is going to be amazing." I spun around a tree with a smile.

Bellamy shook his head with a laugh. "Come on. Let's get back to camp."

"I'm coming," I sighed.

We made it back to camp and I worked on getting the pig ready. It took me a couple hours but from where I was at, I could see the screen. I watched the Unity Day celebration.

Monty made some Unity Juice and I had some of that. It was a little strong so I had to pace myself.

The pig was roasting about two hours after noon and would be ready a couple hours after dark.

The comms cut out suddenly a little after I was done with the pig. Something on their end probably so we didn't have to worry too much.

"You finished with the pig?" Bellamy asked.

"Yep," I sighed. "That was way too much work. And I don't even like pig."

He just laughed and shook his head. Everyone was partying but I leaned against the wall stiffly.

"Relax," Bellamy said, looking over at me. "You look like you could use a drink."

"I could use more than one," I said. "But now is not the time."

"And why's that?" he asked, taking a sip from his own drink.

"My family is coming in 60 hours and Earth is not safe for them," I said slowly.

"It's as safe as it's gonna get," Bellamy said. "We've got the wall, the guns and we're getting the numbers."

"Bellamy, they've been living on Earth for a hundred years longer than us. They've taken out so many of our people without a care or even a struggle."

"But you've taken out at least four just by yourself," he said with a smirk.

I smiled a little. "But I'm just one person."

"One person who needs a drink," he said. "Just for tonight. The Exodus ship carrying your mom and your daughter is coming in two days. After that, party's over. Have some fun while you still can. You deserve it."

I sighed. "Just for tonight," I repeated. "But if I do anything stupid, I'm blaming you."

"You've said I'm stupid," he said, wiggling his eyebrows. "Come do me."

I just rolled my eyes and went to go find something to drink.

I did end up having more than one drink. I was traveling from group to group, talking to as many people as I could. It was a lot of fun seeing some people drunk.

My new goal is to see a drunk Bellamy. I think he'd be a funny one.

It was early in the morning when Finn found me.

"I need to talk to you," he said, grabbing my arm.

I followed him off to the side.

"I set up a meeting with the Grounders," he confessed.

"A meeting?" I gasped. "How?"

"The Grounder we had in the dropship," Finn said. "His name is Lincoln."

"I knew he could talk." I paused. "Okay. Let's go."

"That's it? I thought I was gonna have to convince you."

"No," I said. "But I want backup."

"No. Those weren't the terms. We can't bring guns."

"Okay," I said with a nod. "But why me?"

"You killed a few of them," he said sheepishly. "They either think you're the leader or the threat. Clarke's coming too."

I nodded. "Yeah. Okay, I'll meet you by the gate in a minute."

He nodded and headed off.

I turned and tried to find Nate. I might not make it back from this. I found him but he was drunk.

I reached up and hugged him anyway.

"I love you," I whispered.

"Oh," he said with a big smile. "I love you too doll." He ruffled my hair.

"Don't hurt yourself," I said, smiling a little.

"No promises," he said, sighing as he practically fell onto a log. He sat there and waved as I walked away.

I found Finn and Clarke at the gate. We made our way through the woods, a couple hours seeing as it was nearing noon when we got there, to a bridge. It was a little beat up but still standing.

Octavia was there. That makes a lot more sense. She and Lincoln were a thing.

"So that's how you set this up," Clarke said, looking at Finn. Then she looked at Octavia. "You helped him escape, didn't you?"

"I trust him, Clarke," Octavia said simply.

"There's a lot of that going around," she replied, looking at Finn.

I was not going to get into that.

"Someone's coming," Finn said, looking at the other side of the bridge.

I watched as Lincoln ran over and Octavia met him in the middle. They embraced. They were awfully cute.

"Oh my God," I breathed. There were three horses coming over with three riders. And they all had weapons.

"We said no weapons," Finn said.

"I was told there wouldn't be," Lincoln said.

"Too late now," I said.

"They goes alone," Lincoln said when Finn tried to step forward as well.

"Don't worry," I said with a smile. "We'll be fine."

"Clarke-" I tried not to roll my eyes.

"It's time to do better," Clarke said.

I walked over with my head high, Clarke right next to me.

I glanced back at the horses behind her. The riders had their weapons and looked ready to shoot at a moment's notice. They kind of worried me a little. I'd been shot before and it hurts.

"Your name is Clarke?" the woman asked, looking at Clarke. She nodded. "And you are Cory." I nodded. "I'm Anya," she said.

"It's nice to meet you," I said with a smile, starting us off. "I think we got off to a rough start. I think we can find a way to live together in peace."

"I understand. You started a war that you don't know how to end."

I was confused. How did we start a war? I exchanged a look with Clarke.

"We didn't start anything," I said with a scoff. "You attacked us for no reason."

"No reason? The missiles you launched burned a village to the ground."

We exchanged another look. "The flares?" Clarke asked. "No. That was a signal meant for our families. We had no idea-"

"You're invaders," she cut her off. "Your ship landed in our territory."

"We didn't know anyone was here," Clarke continued. "We thought the ground was uninhabited."

"You knew we were here when you sent an armed raiding party to capture one of us and torture him." She paused as my face fell. "These are all acts of war."

"Yes," I said. "They are. But we did not mean to start this."

"And yet you did," she said.

Clarke was about to speak but I had to ask.

"Then what do you call spearing my friend and shooting me with an arrow before stringing us up as live bait?" I asked, tilting my head to the side. "You did that."

"You crossed into our lands," she explained.

"And how were we supposed to know that?" I raised an eyebrow. "We were never told people were here and we were never told the boundaries. Maybe that should be the first step towards a treaty."

"Lincoln said there are more of you coming down, warriors," she said, changing the subject.

"The guard, yes," Clarke said before I could. "But also farmers, doctors, engineers. We can help each other but not if we're at war."

"Can you promise that these new arrivals won't attack us, that they'll respect the terms you and I agree on?"

Clarke and I were both stumped but I spoke up. "I'm gonna be honest. I can't promise that they won't attack. I can promise that I will do everything in my power to convince them to honor the terms we set."

"Why would I agree to an alliance that your people can break the moment they get here?"

Clarke took this one. "If you fire the first shot, those people coming down won't bother negotiating. Our technology-" She paused and shrugged. "They will wipe you out."

"They wouldn't be the first to try."

Before I could ask what she meant, Jasper was yelling and firing his gun.

My eyes widened and I looked back at Anya. She had out a knife.

My jaw dropped and I jumped into action. I roundhouse kicked her in the shoulder. She stumbled and the knife flew from her hand. I pushed Clarke out of the way and rolled, an arrow landing right where I was. I grabbed the knife, staying in a crouch.

"Cory," Bellamy yelled.

I glanced back and saw him holding up his gun, ready to shoot Anya. I swept my feet behind Anya's legs and she went down. The bullet hit the railing of the bridge.

"Run," I yelled at Anya.

I jumped up, helped Clarke up, turned, and ran to my side of the bridge. Finn met us part of the way and pulled Clarke along.

I was hit, just a scrape on my leg. I almost fell but kept going. Clarke and Finn was next to me panting.

Octavia didn't want to leave Lincoln. He was hit as well, his arrow sticking from his shoulder.

"Run," Lincoln commanded. "Don't stop until you're in your camp. Go! Take her!"

I pulled Octavia along.

We took off running through the wood, back towards camp. I was in front; the others were behind me but I kept going. It was a long way back though so we slowed down for a while.

We reached camp by nightfall. No one spoke until we reached it. We were slightly afraid they'd be following.

"You got anything to say?" Bellamy asked Finn. They were both glaring at each other.

"Yeah. I told you no guns."

"They had arrows," I snapped. "Trust me, they're not much better than bullets."

"I told you we couldn't trust the Grounders," Clarke practically yelled. "I was right!"

"Why didn't you tell me what you were up to?" Raven asked, hurt.

"I tried," Finn said, "but you were too busy making bullets for your gun."

"You're lucky she brought that!" Bellamy spit back. "They came there to kill you, Finn."

"You don't know that! Jasper fired the first shot!"

"You ruined everything," Octavia said. She stormed off into camp.

"I saved you!" Jasper called. "You're welcome." He left too,

"Well, if we weren't at war already, we sure as hell are now," Finn said. "You didn't have to trust the Grounders," Finn said. "You just had to trust me." Then Finn and Raven were gone.

"Like I said," Bellamy sighed. "Best Unity Day ever."

I turned around when I heard an explosion. The Exodus ship was coming. It was early.

"The Exodus ship?" Bellamy asked. "They're early."

I couldn't help the smile on my face. My mom and my daughter were coming now. I was going to see them in person, hug them.

"Wait," I breathed, confused. "Too fast. No parachute? Something's wrong."

And I was right.

The Exodus ship hit the ground and exploded.

I couldn't breathe.


	33. No

I stared for a minute before I could actually breathe and move.

"No," I said, shaking my head. "No."

I turned and walked toward my tent. I just needed to stop there long enough to grab my bow and arrows and then I was going after them.

"Cory," Bellamy said, catching up with me. "Just wait."

"No," I snapped. "I am getting my bow and arrows and then I'm leaving."

"We can wait until morning," he said.

"No," I snapped.

I reached my tent and pushed into it.

"Where were you?" Nate asked. He was lying on his bed.

I didn't say anything. I just grabbed my stuff and left.

"Cory," he called, getting up. He grabbed my arm.

I turned to look at him.

"They're not dead," I breathed.

"Cory," Bellamy said from behind Nate. "No one could survive that."

"I don't care," I said. "I'm leaving now."

"What's going on?" Nate asked, confused.

Bellamy sighed. "Wait ten minutes and we'll leave."

I nodded and walked away. I waited next to the gate.

They weren't dead. No. Somehow they aren't dead.

"We're ready," Bellamy said, stepping up behind me.

I started walking. I didn't say a word and I didn't look back. I just walked to the crash.

It took us hours. I only stopped walking one time.

When I got to the edge of the crash site. I stopped and stared. I couldn't breathe.

No one survived.

I slowly walked around the wreckage. I was looking for anything that tells me they're still alive. They didn't die.

"Clarke shouldn't be here," Finn said.

"Yeah well Cory definitely shouldn't," Raven replied.

I knew they were looking at me. Mom and Peyton were on the ship.

As I walked around the wreckage, I was just praying that I wouldn't see a child's corpse. I was trying my hardest not to break down as I looked around.

They weren't dead. I would know. Right?

And then I saw it.

I fell to my knees and with shaky hands, I lifted the chain. I prayed a locket wouldn't be at the end of it.

"No," I cried when I saw it. It was slightly blacked and a little deformed. But it was the locket.

The last visiting day, I gave Peyton the locket that Nate gave me when we were younger. I wanted her to remember me in case something happened. She promised to never take it off and I'd seen when I talked with her. She never took it off.

If it was here, it meant she was too. It meant she was dead. My mother was too.

"No," I yelled again.

I looked around. There was no corpse. There were ashes. My family was now just a pile of ashes.

Tears were streaming down my face.

"No," I yelled again, slamming my fists into the ground.

"Cory," Bellamy said, marching over. "Did you want every grounder in the area to come running?"

"They already know we're here, idiot," I exclaimed, jumping up. I clutched the necklace as I took, at least some of, my anger out on Bellamy. "A huge ship drops out of the sky and explodes. If they wanted to get us, they would be here by now."

He didn't seem affected. "Look," he said, reaching out to me with one hand.

"Don't touch me," I cried, backing up.

"Okay," he said, holding up his hand. "Let's just head back to camp. We've got all we can get here."

"Give me a second," I said calming, taking a breath. I slipped the necklace over my head.

I turned and walked a few feet away. I took a deep breath and screamed at the top of my lungs. I then straightened my back and walked back toward Bellamy.

"I'm ready now."

I started the walk back to camp, not waiting for anyone. If the grounders wanted to attack, let them. I was ready for blood.

I had my bow and arrows with me this time. I always had knives with me but I had my bow out.

"Cory," Nate said. His voice was thick, like he was trying not to cry.

"Not now," I said, monotone. "Please."

"I'm here when you want to talk," he said with a nod. He stayed next to me the whole way back.

"Murphy's back," someone said to Bellamy when we passed through the gate.

I perked up and looked behind me.

"Dropship," they said.

Bellamy and I looked at each other and I took off running before he could stop me.

I ran through the door and saw there were at least eight guards standing around, blocking my view. I pushed past them and stopped.

Murphy was sitting on the ground. Even with all the blood, and there was a lot of it, I could tell it was Murphy.

"Murphy," I breathed.

He looked up at me with wide eyes and a quivering lip.

"Oh God. What happened?" I walked over and dropped to my knees in front of him.

"Murphy? Where is he?" Bellamy asked, walking in with Clarke and Finn right behind him.

Everyone else backed away and he dismissed pretty much everyone.

I ignored them as I reached up and brushed some of his hair from his eyes. He looked so scared. He even flinched when I got too close.

"He claims he was with the Grounders," Derek said. "We caught him trying to sneak back into camp."

"I wasn't sneaking," Murphy said. I took his hand and squeezed slightly. "I was running from the Grounders."

"Anyone see Grounders?" Bellamy asked.

I looked up sharply at him. He didn't believe Murphy? Just look at him, he was obviously tortured.

I looked at Derek and Connor. They were shaking their heads.

And then Bellamy was lifting his gun and pointing it at Murphy.

"Hey," I yelled. I jumped up and stood in front of Bellamy. The gun was now trained on my stomach. "What the hell is wrong with you?"

"We were clear what would happen if he came back," Bellamy said. He didn't move the gun but he straightened up a little to look at me. Finn pushed the gun down.

"No," he said. "If he was with the grounders, then he knows things that can help us."

"Help us? We hanged him. We banished him, and now we're gonna kill him," Bellamy said. It kind of makes sense. Would Murphy really want to help them? I know I wouldn't. "Get the hell out of my way," he snarled at me, lifting the gun again.

"No," I said firmly.

"Finn is right," Clarke said.

Of course this got Bellamy to actually back off. "Like hell, he is," Bellamy said, putting the gun down again. "Clarke, think about Charlotte."

I clenched my hands into fists. Did he not see that Murphy was tortured? He needs somewhere to stay.

Clarke stepped forward, past me. I glared as she walked by. I looked back at Bellamy one more time to make sure he wouldn't shoot Murphy when my back was turned. I knelt down in front of Murphy, taking his hand again.

"I am thinking about her, but what happened to Charlotte was as much our fault as his." There was a pause as she looked him over. "He's not lying. His fingernails were torn off. They tortured him."

"You and the grounders should compare notes," Finn said to Bellamy.

Of course Bellamy had an excuse. "The grounders know we're at war." He then turned back to Murphy. He looked like he would lift his gun again and I tightened my hold on Murphy. "What did you tell them about us?"

"Everything," Murphy whispered. He was looking at me now.

"Once he's better, we find out what he knows, and then he's out of here, ok?" Clarke said, getting up and walking toward the door.

"What if he refuses to leave? What do we do with him then?" Bellamy asked, raising an eyebrow at her.

"Then we kill him," Clarke said, leaving the dropship.

I swallowed. I looked up at the others, waiting for them to leave.

He looked at me and I just looked back at him. I wasn't going to leave. I was going to help him.

Bellamy turned and walked away. The others all followed him.

"I'm so sorry," I breathed.

"Cory," a voice said behind me. I turned to see Nate was holding a bowl of water and a cloth.

"Thanks," I said softly with a small smile.

He set it next to me, nodding at Murphy.

"I'll be in the tent when you're done."

I grabbed his hand. "I don't want to talk about it anymore."

He nodded. "We won't talk." He turned and left.

"Talk…about what?" Murphy asked softly.

I shook my head and put the cloth in the water. I reached up and slowly, carefully, began to clean his wounds. He was covered in wounds, most bloody wounds.

"Cory," he said.

I stopped cleaning and looked him in the eyes.

"What's wrong?"

I sat back and put my hands on my lap. I looked down, trying not to cry.

"They're dead," I whispered. I swallowed hard. "My mom and Peyton are dead."

"What happened?" he asked after a little bit.

"The Ark was going to send an Exodus ship 60 hours after the Unity Day celebration," I explained. "It was going to have guards and doctors and anyone else we could need, like an Earth skills teacher. But it was launched too early and came in too hot. It crashed and exploded. Mom and Peyton were on it." I reached up and touched the locket.

He looked at the locket.

I smiled a little despite it all, looking down at the locket. "Nate gave it to me just before I was locked up. I gave it to Peyton just before I left. She loved it, always wore it." My smile fell. "I found it in the wreckage. Mom and Peyton were in it."

I looked up and couldn't help it. My voice broke as I said, "They're dead."

He grabbed my hands slowly and pulled me to him. I practically fell on him, burying my face in his chest and crying.

They were dead.

For a few minutes, I just cried. All I could think about was my family. The majority of them were dead. And we couldn't get the comms to work so Tabs and David could be dead too and we wouldn't know.

I finally sat up and wiped my face.


	34. Biological Warfare

Murphy slowly reached forward and grabbed the cloth from my hand. He started wiping my face.

"You had my blood on you," he explained.

I couldn't help the smile and the breathy laugh.

I cleaned him up in silence after that.

"I'm going to go get some more water," I said, standing up.

I headed out for the water. It was light out again, just after dawn.

I walked over to the water but never made it there. Someone was coughing up blood by the fire.

I hurried over, eyes wide.

"Cory, stop," Clarke called.

I paused and looked at her.

"No one touch him," she said. She gave me a look and I knew. It was Murphy. I'd already been around him enough. If I was gonna get it, I'd already have it. It couldn't hurt to help out now.

So I grabbed his arm and put it over my shoulder. I helped him up and we made it to the dropship, Clarke right behind us.

Murphy was throwing up blood.

I sat the guy I was helping down and leaned him against the wall. I went and stood next to Clarke, who was kneeling in front of Murphy.

"I need you to tell me exactly how you escaped from the grounders. What happened?"

"I don't know," he said, shaking his head. "I woke up, and they forgot to lock my cage."

I knew what that meant. They let him go. They wanted him to come back here, to infect us.

"There was no one there, so I took off."

"They let you go," Clarke sighed, looking up at me.

I heard someone coming in. I turned to see it was Bellamy.

"Bellamy, stay back," I said, holding up my hands.

"Did he do something to you?" he asked, glaring at Murphy. Clarke and I just shook our heads. "What the hell is this?"

"Biological warfare," I sighed. "You were waiting for the grounders to retaliate for the bridge? This is it." I paused and looked down at Murphy. "Murphy is the weapon."

I knelt down again and grabbed the bowl of water. I started cleaning Murphy's face a little.

"Cory," Clarke said, stopping me. "You might not have it yet."

"Trust me," I said with a look. "If I'm gonna get it, I already have it."

"Is this your revenge?" Bellamy asked, pacing a little but still glaring at Murphy. "Helping the grounders kill us?"

"I didn't know about this, ok, I swear," Murphy said.

"Stop lying," Bellamy practically yelled. "When are they coming?"

"Murphy, think, all right?" Clarke said. "What can you tell us that's useful? Did you hear anything?"

"They are vicious, cruel," Murphy said, looking at me this time.

"You want to see vicious?" Bellamy asked, walking over.

"Hey, don't," I said, holding up a hand and looking at him. "Whatever this thing is, it spreads through contact."

"Clarke?" I looked past Bellamy and saw Finn was walking in.

"Finn, you shouldn't be in here," Clarke said. "No one should."

"I heard you were sick," he explained. He was so cute…annoyingly cute. "Clarke, what is this?"

"I don't know, some kind of hemorrhagic fever," she sighed. "We just need to contain it before-"

She was cut off as the kid I brought in starting throwing up.

I stood up and hurried over. I knelt next to him but there was nothing I could do. He had to get something out of his system. He was throwing up blood and coughing violently. And just as quickly as it started, it was over.

I knew before I even felt for a pulse that he was dead.

"Is he-" Bellamy started.

"He's dead."

I stood up.

Clarke was pouring alcohol on Finn's hands. Apparently he touched her.

"What do we do?" Finn asked.

"Quarantine," Clarke said. "Round up everyone who had contact with Murphy. Bring them here."

"And everyone they had contact with?" Bellamy asked.

"Well, we have to start somewhere," Clarke said.

"Connor," I spoke up, looking over at him. "Who as with you when you found him? Who carried him in? Think."

"The first one there was Octavia," he said.

Bellamy hurried out of the dropship. I turned to follow but Clarke stopped me.

"Wait," she said. "Just because you aren't showing the symptoms, doesn't mean you don't have it."

"Clarke, I feel fine. I'll just help those who are having trouble standing." I shrugged. "I'm like the only one who can."

She sighed and let me go.

I found someone right away. He was staggering on his feet so I helped support his weight. I brought him in and laid him down. I made sure he was on his side so that blood wouldn't go into his lungs. He could die from that. I don't want anyone else dying.

I turned to head back out there but Bellamy was coming in with Octavia. He blocked my path.

"You gonna move?" I asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Go lay down," he said.

I smiled. "No thanks."

"You might not have it."

"Oh please," I scoffed. "I have it. I just don't have any symptoms right now."

He was lucky. Two people were coming in, one barely standing. I helped her, giving Bellamy a look.

He can't tell me what to do. If there's a way to help, I'm gonna help.

For the next half an hour, we worked on getting anyone who might be sick in the dropship. Those who are symptomatic are on the first level, those not symptomatic are on the third level, except for me. I helped people in, got them water, cleaned up some blood, and tried to keep people alive.

A couple of the stronger ones carried out the dead bodies. There were already two of them.

I heard Bellamy telling everyone to get back to their posts. Then I heard him calling for Octavia.

Crap. Clarke had sent Octavia to go meet Lincoln. He was gonna be mad.

Suddenly I was hearing a lot of yelling. People were freaking out.

I jumped up and ran outside.

Chaos.

Guns were being pointed, people were yelling and bleeding.

I turned and grabbed a gun from just inside the dropship. I pointed it in the air and fired.

Everyone froze, looking over at me. I took a few steps forward and stopped next to Clarke. She had run out to try to stop them all. We were now near the middle of the group.

"Everyone just stop," I sighed. I looked around. "This is exactly what the grounders want. Don't you see that? They don't have to kill us if we kill each other first."

"They won't have to kill us if we all catch the virus," someone said, stepping forward. They held up a gun. "Get back in the damn dropship."

Bellamy grabbed the gun and elbowed the guy in the face. He fell back, clutching his nose.

"Not to state the obvious," he said, looking over at us. "But your quarantine isn't working."

Finn suddenly stepped forward. I looked over and saw Clarke was falling.

"Finn, don't touch her," Raven yelled.

He caught her anyway. He scooped her up into his arms.

"Hey, let me go," Clarke said. "I'm ok."

"No, you're not," Finn sighed. He was right.

"Octavia will come back with a cure," I said, looking at Clarke.

"There is no cure," Octavia said, pushing through the crowd. "But the grounders don't use the sickness to kill."

"Really?" Bellamy asked. He pointed to the two dead. "Tell that to them. I warned you about seeing that grounder again."

"Yeah? Well, I have a warning for you, too." She looked around. "The grounders are coming." She paused. "And they're attacking at first light."

Octavia helped Finn get Clarke into the dropship.

"Anyone sick, let's go, in the dropship" I called. "Everyone else. Put the guns down and get back to work. If someone's bleeding, let them know…but do not point your guns at each other again."

I turned and walked into the dropship.

"What else did Lincoln tell you?" I asked Octavia as Finn got Clarke situated. Murphy had given up his hammock.

"The virus doesn't last long."

"It's true," Murphy said. "I feel better." I smiled at that.

"They need to stay hydrated," Clarke said.

"You need to stay hydrated," Finn pointed out.

"I'll do it," I said, looking down at Clarke. "Just rest."

"I'll help you," Murphy said.

We started helping everyone up so they could drink some water. If it passed for Murphy, how many other people will be okay? I'm hoping everyone. But the virus is strong and not everyone is strong enough.

"You need to save yourselves," I heard Clarke say. I tried not to roll my eyes. "Just leave camp. Take anyone healthy enough with you."

"If you think that's even a possibility, you don't know me very well." That was awfully cute.

"Look," Murphy said, walking over. "At this rate, when the grounders get here, there won't be anyone left to fight back."

"That's the point," Octavia said.

"Then we slow them down," I said, slowly. I stood up and looked at them. They were all confused. I turned and ran from the dropship. I quickly made my way over to where Raven was making bullets.

"It won't matter if there's no one left who can shoot," I said, interrupting them. Bellamy, Raven, Monty, Jasper and Harper were all there talking about bullets.

I looked at Raven. "What do we need to build a bomb?"

"Depends on what you're trying to blow up," she said with a shrug.

"How about a bridge?"

"What are you talking about?" Bellamy asked.

"Murphy says he crossed a bridge on his way back here from the grounders' camp," I said. "Sound familiar?"

"Yeah," Bellamy said with a nod. "So what?"

"So the virus is fast," I said. "He's already getting better. Blowing the bridge won't stop the attack, but the longer we can delay it, the more of us will be able to fight."

"Even if Murphy is telling the truth," Bellamy said. He paused and added, "And that's a big if. That bridge has survived a nuclear war and 97 years of weather."

"It won't survive me," Raven said. I smiled.

Bellamy, Jasper, Monty, Raven and Finn, who had just walked in, got ready to head to the crash site. They needed the rocket fuel.

While they worked on that, I turned to leave.

"Cory," Bellamy said, stopping me. He glanced back at the others before ducking outside. I followed.

"How are you feeling?"

"I'm fine," I said, shaking my head. "And Octavia's okay too. I'm pretty sure we're immune."

"Pretty sure?"

"As sure as I can be," I said. "Would you mind letting Nate know? I don't want to risk him getting sick."

Bellamy nodded. I turned but paused. "And tell Raven to be careful."

I walked back to the dropship. For hours, I walked around. I made sure people were hydrated. If they started coughing a lot, I turned them on their sides.

It was late into the night when I took a short break. I just needed to breathe some clean air.

I walked out and leaned against the side of the dropship. I closed my eyes and leaned my head back.

"Bellamy!"

I opened my eyes and looked around.

"No! Stay back."

Crap. Someone else was sick.

I pushed off the dropship and followed the noise. Jasper was standing and talking to Bellamy. He was lying on the ground, half on top of a tent.

I rushed forward and knelt next to him. I put my hand against his forehead. He was burning up.

"Come on," I sighed. "You're gonna be okay." I helped him up and another person helped me get him into the dropship.

I laid him down and stepped back, just in time to avoid blood on my shoes. Octavia rushed to his side as I headed over to get some water for people.

No more breaks. I needed to help these people. They were all in pain and in danger of dying. I wasn't. I needed to help.

For another half an hour, I helped some more people.

"I'm gonna go check outside," I told Murphy. I reached up and kissed his less wounded cheek. "Be right back."

I stepped over people and made it outside.

"Monty," I said, stopping him. "Where are you going?"

"My best friend is about to blow up a bridge," he said, clutching the gun. "He might need some help."

"Let's go," I said, jogging toward the gate. We slipped outside and started running.


	35. The Bomb

The bridge was a couple hours away.

Monty and I switched up between running, jogging and walking. We needed to get to that bridge.

And we did. Jasper was kneeling behind a tree stump. He was clicking an empty gun.

"Oh, damn it," he was saying. "Damn it."

"You call that shooting?" Monty asked, running over. He ducked under a branch.

"Monty? Cory?"

Monty passed over the gun as we both knelt next to him.

"Last time was a fluke," he said. "I panicked."

"So what?" Monty asked. "You still made the shot, right?"

"Twice." Jasper nodded and lifted the gun. "How many rounds?"

"Three," Monty said. We all exchanged a look. "You got this."

Jasper missed the first time. I could see the Grounders creeping onto the bridge.

"Damn it," Jasper hissed. "Come on."

"Did you not hear me say you got this?" Monty asked.

I crossed my fingers. The Grounders were moving again.

And then Jasper fired. And boom.

We all ducked down as the bomb went off.

"It worked," I breathed, looking up again.

The bridge was gone, blown to pieces. From here I could just barely see a couple of Grounders, dead Grounders. They weren't going to be following us for a little while at least.

I turned and looked at the other two. They were hugging. I smiled and then was pulled in.

"Oh," Jasper said, pulling back. "We should go get Raven and Finn."

We found Finn and Raven not far away. They weren't far from us or the explosion. There was debris around them but they luckily weren't hit.

"What are you doing here?" Raven asked. It didn't look like she could really see straight.

"Here to save your butt," I said with a smile. "Let's get back to camp."

Jasper and Monty walked ahead of us. I was in the middle of the group most of the walk. Finn helped Raven.

When we made it back to camp, people were clapping. They'd seen the explosion and they knew we'd succeeded.

I couldn't help but smile.

"Feeling better?" I asked, seeing Bellamy on his feet again.

"Of course you were in on it," he sighed, shaking his head.

"Would I miss an opportunity to defy you?" I asked with a smirk.

He just laughed a little.

"Miller's looking for you," he said.

"Tell him I will be getting some much needed rest," I said. "Monty and I basically ran to the bridge and I've been up for a couple days now."

"I'll tell him," Bellamy said with a nod.

"Thanks," I said, putting a hand on his arm. "And don't overdo it. You literally fell on a tent last night."

He smiled. "I'll be fine."

I slept in my tent for a couple hours. I woke when Nate came in, cried for a little while, and then fell back asleep.

When I woke next, it was night.

I took a watch, sitting in a tree. I had a gun but I know I'd reach for my bow first.

For the rest of the night, there was nothing. No movement. No retaliation. Not yet.

"Hey," Nate said from the base of the tree. "I'm taking over. Go get some food."

I nodded and climbed down. I gave him the gun and kissed his cheek.

"Be careful."

He nodded with a smirk before climbing the tree.

After my cry session last night, we've only grown closer. I realized that while they were my biological family, they were his family too. He'd come to love Peyton as his own. It was as if he lost a daughter as well. I always thought of him as family but I never knew he did too.

I took a deep breath and walked back into camp.

Pretty much everyone was okay again. Connor died last night. But he was the last one. 15 people have died since we landed on Earth. I didn't know whether to cringe or to breathe a sigh of relief. With biological warfare, it could have been much worse.

I headed to the dropship. It was absolutely disgusting in there. No one really wanted to clean it out yet.

I spent the better part of the day cleaning.

"What are you doing?" a voice asked.

I turned to see Murphy walk in.

"Cleaning," I said simply. "No one else wants to do it." I picked up another completely destroyed blanket.

"I'm surprised Bellamy didn't make me do it," he sighed. "It is my fault."

I turned sharply. "This was not your fault. The Grounders did this."

"And I helped."

"Not on purpose," I said, walking over. I dropped the blanket and took his hand. "I saw your face when Derek died. You did not want this to happen."

"Tell that to Bellamy," he sighed.

"Yeah," I said, wrinkling my nose. "I don't think he's ever gonna like you."

"He hanged me."

I sighed and turned away. I started cleaning again.

"I'm sorry," he sighed, kneeling next to me. "I shouldn't have gone after her."

"I get it," I said, not looking at him. "You wanted revenge. What I don't get is why you went even after I begged you not to."

"I'm sorry," he repeated.

"And I'm still mad," I said.

He didn't say anything. He just left.

I sighed and picked up the blankets. I filled a bucket with water and sat near the fire, washing them. It was getting colder out and I couldn't wash blankets with my jacket on. So I sat as close to the fire as I could.

It was dark by the time Bellamy sat down next to me.

"Are you seriously cleaning?"

"Yes," I said, wringing out the last blanket. "We need these blankets. It's cold out."

I stood up and draped the blanket over a stand I'd put near the fire.

"I brought food," he said, offering up some meat.

"Thanks," I said, sitting down again. I took a bite. Rabbit.

"You want to take a watch again tonight?"

I gave him a look. Of course I did not. But I would if I needed to.

"I'll wake you early in the morning," he said. He stood up. "Might want to get to sleep early."

I sighed. "Fine."

He helped me up.

"You want to dump that out for me?" I asked, giving him a pair of puppy dog eyes.

"Yeah," he sighed, rolling his eyes.

"Oh you're sweet," I said with a smile, tapping his cheek. "Good night," I called, walking over to my tent.

I sat on my bed and pulled off my shoes. I threw my jacket on top of them and climbed under the blanket. I was almost asleep.

"Cory?"

"Yeah?" I called, sitting up again.

Murphy peeked in.

"Did you need something?"

"Uh…" He stepped in all the way. "I got these for you." He was holding a small bouquet of purple flowers.

I smiled a little and took them from him. I laid them on top of my jacket and took his hand. I pulled until he was sitting on the bed next to me.

"Thank you," I said, kissing his cheek. "Now, come on. I'm on watch early tomorrow morning."

I laid back down again. He smiled and pulled off his shoes and his jacket, throwing those on the ground. He climbed in with me.

"So I'm forgiven?"

"Yeah," I sighed. "I'm just happy you're back so you can't go anywhere."

He smiled again. "Wouldn't dream of it."

"Cory," Nate said. I heard him walk in. "Seriously? God. It's my tent too."

I sat up. He wasn't looking at us.

"You can look," I sighed. "Clothes are on."

"Oh," he said.

I laughed. "Did you need something?"

"Not anymore," he said, sitting on his own bed. "Good night Cory."

"Good night," I said, lying back down.

"Night Murphy," Nate called, laying down.

I smiled as I saw the confusion on Murphy's face. "Night," he said hesitantly.

I snuggled in close and fell asleep quickly.

I woke when someone came in. I carefully sat up, trying not to wake Murphy. Bellamy was in front of my bed, looking very confused and slightly angry.

"You're turn," he said.

"I'll be right there," I whispered with a smile.

I climbed out of bed. I almost fell due to me climbing over Murphy. But I didn't and was able to put my shoes on without waking him. I grabbed my jacket, my bow and arrows and a flower. I put that in my hair.

"What's with the flower?" Bellamy asked, waiting outside.

"Murphy got some for me," I said with a smile.

"So you're all buddy buddy with him again?"

I furrowed my eyebrows. "I guess you could say that."

"Great," he sighed.

Before I could ask what he meant, we were at the wall. He was telling someone they were done. And he walked away before I could ask.

I climbed the tree and for hours, I just sat there. There was no movement.

Where was the Grounder retaliation? We bombed a bridge. We killed some of them. And nothing.

"Cory," Nate called.

I climbed down.

"Have fun with Murphy," Nate said with a smirk.

"Oh shut up," I sighed, slapping his arm. I handed over the gun. "Be careful."

He just smiled and climbed up the tree.

I walked back into camp. I saw Murphy was in the smokehouse with Octavia. I pulled off my jacket and threw it on a stump not far away. It was going to be hot in there.

"Hey," I said, stepping in next to him.

He looked over at me surprised. I reached up and kissed his cheek before making my way past him.

"What are you doing?"

"Helping out," I offered with a smile.

"Bellamy assigned you here?"

"Uh…he just lets me do my own thing," I said, hanging a chunk of meat. I looked over, making a face. "He knows I'm not actually going to listen to him."

Octavia laughed.

"Is this fire too hot or is it just me?" I asked, turning to look at it.

"Dell keeps adding wood," Octavia sighed. "Probably just to spite me."

"I'll talk to him," I said with a nod.

"Actually talk, right?" Octavia asked.

"I'll say something first," I said with a smile.

I didn't get to. I was pushed through the wall by a burst of fire. I hit my head and fell to the ground. I tried to push myself up but my arms wouldn't work with me.

Someone was helping me up almost immediately and pulling me away from the smokehouse. It was completely consumed in flames now.

Great. That was all the food we had.

"Cory," Murphy called, running over. He wrapped his arms around me.

He pulled back and looked at me. I smiled up at him. My head hurt a little but I was fine.

"I'm fine."

"Clarke," he yelled. "Where's Clarke?"

"What?"

He glanced down at my arm. I slowly looked over and gasped.

There was a hook in my arm. One of the hooks that was supposed to be holding meat was now hook in my arm.

"Clarke," he yelled again.

"What's going on?" Bellamy asked, coming around the smokehouse.

I just held out my arm.

"Go get Clarke," he commanded a random person. They took off to go find Clarke.

I looked down at my arm. I felt around a little, wincing when it hurt. The hook wasn't in very far. It was just through skin and a little bit of muscle. It went in in the middle of my bicep and came out an inch higher up. The hook had a barb but the other side had broken off when I'd fallen. That side was just a point.

The two started talking about something.

I reached over, bit my lip, and pulled the hook through. I tossed it into the fire.

"Cory," Murphy snapped. "What the hell?"

"What?" I asked with a shrug. I put my hand over the wound. It wasn't actually bleeding a lot.

"What happened?" Clarke asked, running over.

The two just looked at me.

"There was a small explosion," I said. "I was thrown through a wall and one of the meat hooks, hooked me." I showed her the wound. "But I pulled it out and now I'm bleeding all over the place."

Clarke sighed and started wrapping my arm with the bandage she'd brought. She tied it off.

"How are you feeling?"

"Fine," I said with a shrug. "It doesn't really hurt anymore."

"Oh my God, Cory," she sighed. "Go lay down."

I was about to say something but the looks all three of them were giving me told me not to. I laid down for a while.

Until I heard a lot of talking. They were going hunting.


	36. Hunting

I got up and grabbed my bow. I was not going to miss this.

"No," Murphy said the moment he saw me.

"Yes," I replied with a nod. "I'm going. You suck with a spear."

After a little more convincing, he grabbed a gun instead.

Nate had to stay back at camp. He wasn't happy about me going. But he couldn't really stop me.

We were walking for an hour or two before we came across a deer. It was maybe twenty feet away when we saw it. It didn't see us.

I let the arrow fly and it hit perfectly.

The deer went down and Murphy and I ran over.

"Nice," he said, seeing it was dead.

"I know," I said with a smile and a shrug. "See how easy that was. Let's get back to camp."

Murphy slung the gun strap over his shoulder and put the deer on his shoulders.

"Do you need help?" I asked, looking over.

"Do you doubt my strength?" he asked with a smirk.

"Never," I said with a smile.

We hadn't been walking long when I heard a noise.

I stopped and motioned for Murphy to be quiet and stop too.

I looked around but didn't see anyone. That's when a body was pressed to mine and a sword was held to my throat.

I gasped. Murphy looked over and quickly dropped the deer, reaching for the gun.

There was no way for him to shoot the Grounder without potentially hitting me.

"Murphy," I said, straining a little to stay away from the sword. "Shoot him."

"I can't," he said, his voice cracking.

The Grounder was speaking. It wasn't a language I knew though so I was helpless as to understanding what he wanted.

I felt the sword being pulled away slightly. I think he was getting ready to slit my throat.

I brought my hands up and pushed the sword away. At the same time, I rammed my foot into his shin. I heard a sickening crack and he fell down. I twisted out of his grasp and continued to hold his arm, twisting it and making him stab himself. He gasped and I backed away, surprised.

I didn't know I could do that. I should really stop underestimating myself. I can do a lot when my life is in danger.

The Grounder was still alive though. A shot to the head stopped him from reaching me when he lunged. He fell to the ground, dead.

I turned and looked at Murphy with a grateful smile.

Four steps and he was right in front of me. He wrapped his arms around my shoulders and I wrapped mine around his waist. We just stayed like that for a few minutes.

"Come on," he said with a smile. "Let's get back to camp."

"Just a second," I said.

I stepped back and reached for the Grounder. I took the sword out of him and wiped it on his pants. I turned him over and grabbed any weapons I could. He had a bag with him. I took that and loaded the other weapons, a knife and an axe, into it. I slung that over my shoulder, grabbed the sword, and turned to Murphy.

He had the deer on his shoulders again.

"Let's go," I said with a smile.

Suddenly an arrow struck his leg. He went down with a grunt, the deer falling on top of him.

"Murphy," I gasped, clutching the sword and turning.

I was then struck with an arrow. It hit my shoulder, right where the last arrow went.

I groaned and grabbed my shoulder.

"Again?" I muttered. Are you kidding me? Exactly the same spot? What is wrong with these people?

"Cory?" Murphy called, struggling against the deer.

I was then struck in the head from behind. I fell to the ground, facing Murphy.

I blinked a few times, barely staying conscious. Murphy was giving me a helpless look. He was trying to move the deer while not hurting himself more. Safe to say that wasn't working well. Just as my eyes closed, I saw someone knock him out.

I honestly didn't know what was going on. Why did they capture me? Why didn't they kill me? Where they taking Murphy too?

I woke when I was thrown to the ground. My hands were tied so sitting up was really awkward. I groaned when pain shot through my head and my shoulder.

Anya was sitting in a chair in front of me. There were five or six Grounders positioned around the room.

"Do you know how many your bomb killed?" she asked.

Seriously. They kidnapped me to talk about that? And why are we even talking? Don't they usually just kill first and ask questions later?

"You know what? I'm honestly hoping a lot." Some of the Grounders tightened their hold on their weapons. "Sorry. But you threatened to kill us."

"We met, talking about a treaty, and your people shot us."

"Yeah," I breathed. "I honestly don't know much about that. I didn't even know they were coming. But from what I heard…and saw, you had people in the trees, ready to kill Clarke and I. And then you pulled a knife on us."

"You shot first."

"No," I said, shaking my head. "We didn't. Your people sent a spear through my friend." I paused but quickly added, "And I get that we were in your territory. But we didn't know that. You could have tried telling us so that we would know."

"You trespassed on more than one occasion," she said simply.

"Yeah," I breathed. I bit my lip, trying to figure out how to explain that. "Someone was lost. Octavia, the sister of our self-proclaimed leader Bellamy. He would look for her for days, like he's a really good brother. Well we tracked her into your territory. Sorry we couldn't find you guys anywhere but you're not exactly accessible to us. So we found her and then we left." I paused and swallowed. "And then Bellamy came back."

I sighed. I don't know how to convey to her that we aren't the enemy, not really at least. How could I tell her we were just kids trying to survive?

I looked up at her. "We've lived in space our entire lives. We've been told since we could talk, that no one survived, that we were the last of the human race. We didn't know you were here. And the only reason we knew was that you hurt us. Okay? Sadly, normal people fight violence with violence. But we're just trying to survive. I have a mother and a daughter and a best friend up in space still. I want this world to be a better world…for them. I want them to be able to come down and not have to be in the middle of a war or to face the same struggles I've had to. So can't we talk about peace? Forget what I said earlier. I will make sure them listen."

Anya slowly stood up. She looked down at me.

"Peace is no longer an option," she said simply. "We will wipe you out."

I scoffed. That was it? She wasn't even going to listen to me anymore?

"Good luck," I spit. "We're stronger than we look."

She just gave me a look and walked past me, most of the other Grounders following.

"Uh…" I started when Anya got to the entrance. "You just gonna leave me here?"

"What's your people without their strongest fighter?" She left.

"Joke's on you," I yelled. "I'm not the strongest." Since the guns came to camp, I haven't been the best fighter. Guns are way better than knives and arrows but I refuse to hold one.

I laid on my back and took a breath. Time to think.


	37. Not Gonna Give Up

How was I going to get out of this? I had to warn them that they were attacking soon. Murphy probably made it back to camp by now. If not, I'm sure they've realized I'm gone and probably realized I was taken by Grounders again. I'm sure they've decided I was as good as dead. I don't mind. I'm going down fighting. Scratch that. I'm not going down…yet at least. I would get back to them and warn them.

There were only two Grounders. And they didn't know about my screws. I still have two left, always in my hair or at least on my person.

I formulated a plan while staring at the ceiling.

I slowly sat up and reached up. I pulled out my hair tie, grabbing the screws and keeping those in my hand.

One Grounder was giving me a look. "You wanna say something?" I asked, looking at him.

For another ten minutes, I sat there. It looked as if I was staring at a wall. Really, I was cutting my binds.

After that, I stood, keeping my hands together. I figured the bigger one was the one to take down first.

I pretended to wander around aimlessly first. I looked around the bare room. It had a chair but that was really all there was. The rest of the room was blank.

I began to make my way over to the big one. I slowly walked closer and closer. He didn't move, didn't even look at me. I walked right past him.

I then reached up and slammed the screw into his neck, just under his mask. I pulled it free and he choked on blood, quickly and quietly dropping to the ground and dying. That one had a club along with other weapons. I grabbed that and swung at the other one, who had been over to see what was going on. I hit him hard and he collapsed. He was unconscious.

As fast as I could, I took the dead one's jacket, armor, mask, gloves and a couple of his weapons. I put the stuff on and ducked out of the room. There were a lot of different tunnels and I honestly had no idea where they were leading.

But I finally made it outside.

And that's where my luck ran out.

At least a hundred Grounders were out here. They were all dressed for combat. And they were all standing perfectly still, looking up at Anya, who was talking.

There was no way that I would be able to sneak past them. They'd know something was up if I started moving.

"The girl is missing," she said. "The boy is dead by now but she has escaped. Keep your eyes open for her but we will stick to the plan and march on the invaders camp at first light."

She then said something in their language. I have no idea what it was but everyone starting chanting and pumping their fists. I copied their actions and prayed. I was happy the mask covered my mouth so they couldn't tell I wasn't saying anything.

Then they started marching. I had no choice. Someone bumped into me and I had to walk forward.

We walked for a couple hours. There was no way for me to just walk away. I kept trying to get near the back but the person behind me would bump into me and make me walk faster. I couldn't just wander off. I had to follow.

We found Clarke at some point. She was chained up and dragged along. I wanted to do something but killing myself is not going to help her.

They stopped for camp and Anya instructed Grounders to go different ways. I didn't know where I was supposed to go. The majority of them walked over to form a group. I walked over there, hoping I could somehow escape.

I was pulled away before I got to the group. I was pushed into the woods a little and pushed up against a tree. The Grounder put his finger to where I assume his mouth is supposed to be. He had a mask on so I couldn't be sure.

It was the Grounder I'd knocked unconscious. I should have killed him.

He pulled off his mask.

He was a guy about my age. He had a little bit longer straight dark brown hair. He was tanned but it was hard to tell in the moonlight. His piercing green eyes stared right into mine.

"Wh-"

"Not yet," he hissed.

I still had on my mask so he couldn't exactly cover my mouth.

He grabbed my hand and pulled me even farther from the group. We were about ten minutes away from camp by the time he stopped and pushed me against another tree.

"Your camp is that way," he said, pointing off into the woods. "You should be able to reach the camp by dawn if you leave now. We'll camp for the night but you need to run through the night. Scouts will be there midday tomorrow but the entire army won't be there until nightfall. You need to be gone before the scouts come or fight them off. You won't win this war."

"Thanks," I spit. I was mad that he underestimated us. We would win. Somehow.

I paused. Wait. He was just going to let me go?

I pushed him off of me and ripped my mask off.

"Why are you even helping me?"

"We can't just all kill each other," he said, swallowing.

"So why are you with them?"

"You do as you're told or you get killed," he said.

"Thank you," I whispered. I paused. He saved my life and I didn't even know his name.

"Jace," he said with a small nod. Was that a smile?

"Cory," I said with a smile. "Thank you, Jace."

"Go," he said, glancing back at camp. "Go now and don't stop running."

I nodded and took off. I didn't look back.

For hours, I switched between running and jogging. At one point, I took off the Grounder's stuff. It was just weighing me down. I had to get there. And it had to be before the scouts.

That wasn't going to happen.

I was captured again an hour after dawn. Anya must not want to kill me yet.

The Grounder had come up behind me. I heard it coming and tried to change course. But there's only so much you can do when he's on a horse.

I should have kept the Grounder stuff on.

He hit me from behind and I fell. I was conscious but only for a minute. He chained my hands together and made me walk behind the horse. We started back to camp.

I did not run through the woods for hours just to be captured again. I was not going back there.

For maybe half an hour, I followed. I wanted to save up some energy for what I had to do next. Especially because once I'm free, I had to run again.

I acted weak. I acted like I could barely walk. That was a lie.

I fell to my knees and prayed he'd stop. I almost smiled when he did.

That could have gone very wrong. I could have been dragged through the woods. That would not have been fun.

He walked over to me and stopped in front of me. I swept my legs behind his, knocking him to the ground. I jumped on him and smashed a rock on his head three times. He was unconscious, maybe dead. I didn't know for sure. One more hit and I'm pretty sure he's dead.

"Cory?" a voice called in a whisper yell.

My head jerked up.

Jace was running towards me. I could tell it was him because of his mask. And the fact that he actually called my name.

He knelt next to me.

"You're supposed to be back at camp," he breathed. He made quick work of finding the key and unlocking my cuffs.

"I tried," I breathed. "I got lost and then he found me. What are you doing here?"

He ignored me. He pulled me up and then knelt down again. He grabbed the dead guy's mask and armor and gave them to me. This time he gave me boots too that I slipped over my own.

"Run and do not stop," he instructed.

"Come with me," I said suddenly. I surprised even myself.

"I cannot," he said.

"You don't believe in what they're doing," I said. "Come with me and my people. We'll leave in time and start a new life."

"I cannot," he repeated.

"Please."

I don't know why I felt so strongly about this. I barely knew him. But he had already saved my life twice, maybe more that I didn't know about. I didn't want to just leave him behind.

"I cannot," he repeated one more time. "May we meet again."

He turned and took off. I watched him until he disappeared over hill. Then I climbed on the horse and took off.

I had never ridden a horse and hadn't read much about them. I honestly just held on and hoped the horse somehow knew where to go.

There was a rope that I could pull. The horse seemed to follow the way I pulled it so I could kind of steer. But it's not like I really knew where I was going.

I started recognizing the woods around me. I think I was near the waterfall. I'm hoping I was near the waterfall.

It was nearing midmorning. How far away was the Grounder camp? I'd always thought it was closer than that.

There was the waterfall. I was almost home. By horse, it'd take half the time.

Or no time at all.

I emerged from a group of trees and quickly pulled my horse to a stop. I just pulled on the reins and hoped it stopped.

I gasped when I saw a Grounder.

He had just thrown something. I could hear screaming not far away. Glancing up, I saw everyone running away.

But I couldn't worry about them.

The Grounder turned to look at me. He said something but I had no idea what it was. And he knew I wasn't a Grounder.

He turned to grab something else to kill me with. I was faster. I grabbed a sword that had been attached to the horse. I unsheathed it and snapped the reins so the horse would run.

The Grounder's neck was hidden by his armor and his mask. But the side of his head was bare. So that's where my sword went and I left it there.

I hoped he was the only one. But I'm guessing he was one of the scouts Jace had been talking about. There were bound to be more which was why I had to get away fast. I had to hurry back to camp.

Well, that was the plan.

A sharp pain in my side and a force knocked me from the horse. I was lucky enough to land in a bush and not on rocks. But the horse was gone now. I would have to run back. And what was that pain?

I glanced down and gasped. Great. A knife was sticking out of my side, just under my ribcage. It didn't hurt at the moment, which is actually concerning. But it was a concern for another time.

I grabbed out a knife from its slot on the armor. I needed to be prepared for the scout coming back to me.

I slowly pushed to my feet and looked around. The horse was gone. The Grounder I'd killed was lying on the ground a little farther back. Where was the one that hit me?

I didn't stick around to find out. I ran.

At least I thought before I got to the gate. They were looking for any movement. They were most likely going to shoot first and ask questions later.

The foxholes and tunnels were an option. I was just praying they weren't coming out of them.

I didn't stop running. I ducked into the foxhole and followed the path to the gate. I couldn't help but smile when I finally made it.

That smile vanished quickly when guns were pointed in my face. I dropped the knife.

"It's Cory," I tried to say. The mask was muffling the sound. I quickly reached up with one hand and pulled off the mask, holding my other hand up so they wouldn't think I was reaching for a weapon. "It's Cory," I repeated when it was off.

"Cory," a few different voice yelled.

Jasper, who had been one of the guns in my face, hugged me. I cried out when the knife moved slightly. He pulled back quickly.

"Gunners to your posts," Bellamy said, hurrying over. He took one look at me, saw the knife and picked me up. He quickly carried me into the dropship.

"What the hell?" he breathed, looking at me once he put me down on a table.

"What?" I snapped. The pain had hit me and I kind of had to focus on breathing.

"What happened?" Clarke asked, walking in.

I just pointed to the knife. I clenched my other hand into a fist and stared at the ceiling, focusing on breathing. That's really all I could do.

Clarke got to work doing something. "I've got to take it out and cauterize the wound," she explained. "It's gonna hurt."

"It already hurts," I replied.

"What happened?" Nate asked, running in.

"Back to your post," I said, lifting my head slightly. Pain shot through my side and I hissed.

"Hell no," he said. He hurried over by my head. He knelt down and looked at me. "I'm not leaving."

"Thanks," I whispered, taking his hand slowly. I squeezed.

"Ready?" I looked back at Clarke. I swallowed and nodded.

She slowly eased the knife out. I didn't breathe. She then pulled my clothes up and quickly put the hot knife to my skin. Again, I didn't breathe.

I finally sucked in a breath when she was done. I closed my eyes and just breathed for a few seconds.

Then I opened my eyes and started to sit up. Multiple hands pushed me back. Nate did not look happy, neither did Bellamy as he held my other shoulder. Clarke was just looking from my wound to my face.

"You could have internal bleeding," she said.

"I probably do," I said with a look. "But." I took a breath. "Grounders will be by nightfall. We've got work to do."

"At least say sitting for a while," she finally said.

"For a while," I repeated.

I brushed both hands off of me and slowly sat up. Bellamy at least helped me this time.


	38. The Plan

"So how do we do this?" I asked, looking around.

"Miller get to your post," Bellamy instructed. "Watch the woods."

I pulled him down first and kissed his cheek. "I'll be fine, okay? Be careful."

"You too," he said with a nod. He left, glancing back one more time.

"We've got 25 rifles with 20 rounds each, give or take," Bellamy said, looking around at everyone. He moved toward another table nearby and showed a model of camp. "Roughly 500 rounds of ammo. While you three," he said, looking at Finn, Clarke and I. I guess Finn was with Clarke. "Were gone, we made some improvements. Thanks to Raven, the gully is mined."

"Partially mined," Raven added. "Thanks to Murphy."

Thanks to Murphy? Where was Murphy? What happened?

"Still, it's the main route in," Bellamy said. "If the grounders use it, we'll know."

"Wait," I said. "Go back." I looked over at Raven. "Thanks to Murphy?"

They all exchanged looks.

"What?"

"Your boyfriend killed Myles and took Jasper hostage," she explained. "Bellamy tried to save the day, almost got hanged. He shot me, barely missing a mostly full fuel tank. And then he used all the remaining gunpowder to blow a hole in the side of the dropship. He's gone now."

"Oh," I said softly, looking down a little.

He left me? Did he even try to find me first?

I shook my head and looked up again. "So the gully's partially minded. What else?"

"She also built grenades," Bellamy continued. He held one up.

"It's not many," Clarke said.

"Again, thank you, Murphy." This time she seemed to regret it a little. She gave me a look but I ignored it.

"We'll make them count. If the grounders make it through the front gate, guns and grenades should force them back."

"And then?" I asked, looking around.

"Then we close the door and pray," Raven said.

"And pray what?" Clarke asked. "That the ship keeps them out? Because it won't."

"Then let's not let them get through the gate," Bellamy said. He held up a radio. "All foxholes, listen up. Keep your eyes and ears open. Inflict casualties, as many as possible. You can hold them off long enough to make them turn back. That's the plan."

"That's always your plan," Finn sighed. "Just like the bomb at the bridge."

"Damn right. You got a better idea?"

"Yeah," I breathed.

They all looked at me. I looked over at Raven.

"There's fuel in the rockets?"

"Yeah, but no gunpowder," she said, shaking her head.

"But could we blast off?"

"Draw them in close," she said with a nod, thinking. "Fire the rockets. A ring of fire."

"Barbecued grounders," Bellamy said. "I like it."

"Will it work?" Finn asked, looking down at Raven.

"The wiring's a mess down there, but yeah. You give me enough time, I'll cook them real good."

"We'll get you the time," I said with a nod. I pulled off the Grounder armor and jacket. I kicked off the boots. I put the armor back on and left the wrist protectors on. Those could actually come in handy since there were spikes on them.

I jumped off the table and Bellamy came to stand in front of me.

"No," he said, crossing his arms.

"Yes," I said.

"You're injured."

"So?" I asked. "You wanna know why they took me? Apparently I'm your best fighter. So move."

"Help Raven in here," he said.

"No offense," I said, glancing over at Raven. "But no." I looked back up at Bellamy. I hated that he was so much taller. "I'm needed at the wall."

"We don't have any extra guns."

"I don't want a gun." I shook my head. "I've killed more of them with their own weapons than you guys have killed with guns. I can do this."

"You're injured."

"I know," I practically yelled. It's not like I've forgotten there was a knife in me just like ten minutes ago. My side still hurts. "But I want the least amount of lives lost and me being at the wall can help guarantee that."

"Or you could die," he spit at me.

I furrowed my eyebrows and leaned back slightly. Everyone could die today. Why was he so concerned about me?

"I don't want you to die," he said, softly, looking right into my eyes.

"Me neither," I said with a breathy laugh. I smiled now.

The smile fell when I saw just how concerned he was. He sounded mad but his eyes looked sad.

"Bellamy," I said, putting my hand on his crossed arms. "I'll be fine."

He didn't say anything. He dropped his arms and took a step closer. Quickly, he grabbed my cheeks in his hands and leaned down. Our lips met and my eyes widened.

He pulled back before I could even process anything. He smiled a little, looking nervous.

"Be careful," he whispered.

He turned and left the dropship. I stood there for another a few seconds, very confused. I finally blinked, glanced over at the others who had seen the whole thing and their faces proved that, and followed after him.

When I got outside though, he was gone. I didn't know where he'd gone to and I couldn't worry about that right now.

War first. Maybe feelings afterwards.

I went to my tent first. I needed to grab all of my stuff. I'd taken my first bow and five arrows with me when I went hunting. My second bow was near my bed. I had almost eleven arrows. I had six knives and a sword from the Grounder I'd killed earlier. I stuck the knives in the slots in my armor. I really liked the armor the Grounders had. I put the arrows in a little quiver I had made and slung that over my back. My bow went around my shoulder for now and the sword went in my belt loop.

I ducked out of my tent and paused.

Bellamy was back.

War first. Maybe feelings afterwards.

I walked over to him.

"Where do you want me?"

"In the dropship," he said first, turning to me. "Help prepare in here until dark. Then I want you at the South Foxhole."

I nodded and turned away. He grabbed my arm and pulled me back. "Please, be careful."

I nodded again and walked away.

War first. Maybe feelings afterwards.

Preparing in here, for me at least, meant stashing my weapons in various places. I put some spears by the tunnel to South Foxhole. When I came running back in, I say when because we're going to be forced back at some point, I can grab those. I stashed four of my six knives closer to the dropship so that when we started filling up the dropship, I could keep defending it. My bow and my arrows stayed on me as well as the sword. Those would be useful in the foxhole.

I then helped some people build up a few last minute defenses. They were mostly just little hills of bags so that we can hold them off just a little longer.

Maybe an hour after dark, we heard drums.

I jumped up and ran to the South Foxhole. I glanced back one time and saw Bellamy already at the tunnel to another foxhole. I nodded when I saw him looking at me.

I would be careful.

But I would also get Raven all the time she needs.

I made it to the foxhole fairly quickly. I slid in on the side, next to Sterling.

"You see them?" I asked, nocking an arrow.

"Not yet," Sterling said.

I pulled back and watched the trees. I saw movement.

There were a couple Grounders running around. They weren't getting any closer though. It was like they were running just out of reach.

Gunfire. Maybe two Grounders down.

"I hit…I hit them," Sterling said. "I think I hit them."

More gunfire. Another Grounder down.

"I'm out," someone said.

"Don't shoot," I said, looking over at them. "They're drawing our fire."

I grabbed the radio and held it to my mouth. "Listen. Don't waste bullets. They're not attacking for now."

"Cory's right," Bellamy said a few seconds later. "Don't fire until you're sure it's attack. Repeat do not fire until you are sure."

I put the radio down and focused on the woods again.


	39. This Is War

One minute there were none and the next there were too many to count.

I let the first arrow fly. That one was dead.

I let the second one fly. Another one dead.

I let the third arrow fly. That one was dead and tripped another.

Before I could grab a fourth, a Grounder jumped me. He landed on top of me. He had a weapon but before he was able to stab me with it, he fell limp. As he was jumping, I had turned my sword. He had fallen right on it.

I took a second to wipe the blood the Grounder had spit on me from my face before I turned and threw a knife at the next Grounder.

I pulled out my sword and blocked the next attack. There were so many of them. We were never going to be able to defend the fence.

But Raven needed more time.

I swept my legs behind the Grounder and he went down. I dodged another attack and that Grounder just fell on top of the other one. It was fate. All I had to do was stab the sword through both of them at once. It was easy. I left the sword there and looked for the next fight.

I realized now that I was alone in fighting. The others were gone.

I couldn't win. I had to run.

I was suddenly pulled to the right sharply. A Grounder had grabbed my arm and yanked it, making me drop the sword that had been in it. My shoulder was pulled from its socket. It was useless now.

I gasped when I felt him bring his other arm up. He was going to kill me.

This was how I was going to die.

I wasn't fast enough. I couldn't bring my other arm up fast enough. I couldn't kill him first.

I was going to die.

And then suddenly, the Grounder was gone. I whipped around to see another Grounder had tackled him.

Where did he come from? Why did he save me? No. I don't care. I'm just grateful he came when he did.

One stab and that Grounder was dead.

I threw a knife at another Grounder, killing that one.

I gasped when Jace looked up at me. He'd been the one to kill someone for me. I should have known.

He grabbed my good arm and pulled me along. Something was distracting the Grounders so we slipped away fairly easily.

"What are you doing?" I asked.

He glanced back at the others. They were staring at something…someone.

"You need to get back to camp," he said. He glanced down at me and focused on my arm.

He ripped a piece of fabric from his jacket. He wadded it up and practically shoved it in my mouth. I pulled back a little but he didn't seem fazed.

"Bite down," he instructed.

He's already saved my life three times. I should probably just learn to trust him.

I bit down and he grabbed my shoulder and wrist. He popped my shoulder back into place and I bit down even harder.

Great. Now not only was there a throbbing pain in my side but also in my shoulder.

After a second, I spit out the cloth.

"Why do you keep saving me?" I asked.

"Now is not the time," he said. "Go back to camp. And don't look back."

He was looking behind me now. I was about to look back, but he pushed me toward the tunnel. He put something in my hand, my bow.

"Go now."

I grabbed his hand. "If the dropship door closes, run as far away as you can."

He just nodded. "Go."

I turned and ran to the tunnel. I glanced back to make sure I wasn't being followed and instantly regretted it.

Jace was hit from behind. We made eye contact as he fell to the ground.

And all I did was turn. I ran through the tunnel, away from the fighting.

I should have stayed. He'd saved my life more than once. I should have returned the favor.

But I didn't.

"Cory," Nate called, seeing me.

I hurried over. He was holding his arm, blood seeping between his fingers.

"Are you okay?" I asked, pulling his hand away quickly. It was a scratch, a little deeper than I'd like but not too bad.

He nodded. "You?" He looked so concerned.

"I'm okay," I said with a tight smile.

"Get in the dropship," he said, pulling me towards it.

"Nate," I said, pulling my arm from his grasp. "I'm staying and helping until just before those doors close."

He sighed and stepped back. "Be careful."

I nodded with a smile.

He ran into the dropship. I ran back and grabbed two spears. I knelt next to the spot where I'd put my weapons. They were behind a box which would provide some shelter when the Grounders came in. Hopefully Jasper was done soon.

They were taking down the gate now.

I launched the two spears first. The movement of my right arm still made my left shoulder ache more. This was going to hurt. But I gritted my teeth and did what I had to do.

I hit one and they were down. Grenades were taking down a couple more.

"Jasper did it," Clarke called. "Everyone inside."

I grabbed my bow and arrow and started firing arrows. I had five left. And then I had four knives.

I had to make them count.

"Where's Bellamy?" I asked, glancing at Clarke.

"I don't know," she said. Her and Finn ducked down next to me.

I let another arrow fly. And another one. I paused to throw a knife which stopped a Grounder from killing someone.

"Bellamy," I yelled, seeing him running in from the tunnels.

"He's not gonna make it," Clarke whispered. "Bellamy, run," she yelled.

I hit another Grounder. I was out of arrows. I threw another knife.

"Bell," I yelled. I could feel tears in my eyes.

He does not get to do this to me. He can't just kiss me and leave. He can't die before we get to talk about it.

He doesn't get to leave me.

Finn leaped into action. He grabbed a gun and ran over to help Bellamy.

"Finn," Clarke and I yelled.

I wanted to help. I wanted to run over and kill Tristan, the one fighting both Bellamy and Finn. I wanted to throw a knife but Bellamy or Finn kept getting in the way.

"We've got to go," someone yelled, throwing their dead gun to the side.

Before I could run over and help, I was being dragged inside. Nate was pulling Clarke and she was pulling me.

"Bell, run," I yelled.

I saw him glance at me but he was fighting against Tristin.

I threw my final knife at a Grounder that got too close to the dropship.

And then I was inside. And Clarke was closing the door.

There were maybe 50 people in here. That's it. That's all we could save.

I ran my hand through my hair and tried not to cry. Not yet. This wasn't over yet.

And then Anya was sliding in. She was alone. She couldn't win. But I could see she was going to try.

"Jasper, now," Clarke said. But it didn't work.

There was pounding outside. They would get in eventually. Jasper needed to fix it.

"Anya," I said, stepping closer. "Just stop. You can't win."

She yelled and swung her swords anyways.

Nate hit her from behind and she fell to the ground.

People began to attack her. They were beating her.

Flashbacks from when Murphy was being beat, flashed in my mind. I couldn't stop it then. But I can stop it now.

I grabbed someone's shoulder and pulled back. "Stop it," I snapped. I pushed him back and grabbed the next person.

I fought my way to the front and stood in front of Anya. "She's already down," I spit.

"She deserves to die," someone yelled. He had his knife up, ready to stab her.

But Clarke stopped him. "We are not Grounders."

And then we were lifting off. Jasper got it to work. I could hear screams from outside.

It was working.

We landed again. We tied Anya up and Clarke pushed the button.

We all walked outside, seeing the results. Hundreds of Grounders were now nothing but ashes. The entire area inside the wall was covered in ashes.

A tear slipped from my eyes. Finn and Bellamy were out here. And I know they weren't the only ones.

But they made it. I have to believe that they made it. Somehow.

"It's over," Jasper said with a smile, looking down at me.

"For now," I said.

I knew there would be more. We won this battle but there would be more to come.

I furrowed my eyebrows when I heard a hissing sound. I looked up to see small containers being thrown over the wall with red smoke hissing out.

"Shit," I hissed. I tried to cover my mouth and nose but it was no use.

"Mountain Men," Anya said.

I fell to my knees before dropping to my side. As I lay there, slowly slipping into unconsciousness, I saw a man in a suit kneel in front of me. It looked like a hazmat suit except a little more durable.

With all the strength I had left, I reached over and slashed at him with my last screw. I had kept it in my wrist protector. He was lucky he was just out of range.

My hand fell to the ground and the screw slipped out.

I fell unconscious.


	40. Author's Note 2

Hey guys!

So I finished season 1.

I plan on doing season 2 but it might take me a little while to get it started. I'm going to keep adding to this story until at least the end of season 2. I'll try to post in the next couple days but it might take a little while.

Feel free to review and let me know if you liked the story so far.

Happy reading!


	41. Quarantine

I slowly woke up, blinking my eyes. It felt like I'd been drugged. My entire body was weak.

I couldn't remember when I'd last woken up. It felt like days ago. I got a couple flashes of people in masks, hospital masks. I remember white ceilings, similar to the one I'm looking at right now.

I started to push myself up and paused. I looked down. My left arm was in a sling. I pushed myself up with my right arm and pulled the sling off. I threw that to the side. My shoulder was aching but something must be up because the pain had subsided considerable compared to what it was like earlier.

What happened? Where was I?

I slowly looked around the room. It was a white room about the side of the third level of the dropship. I was in a white bed in the middle of the room. It looked like a hospital room but it had a toilet, sink and a shower in it as well. A white sofa was off to the side.

There was a painting above that. It was of a beautiful girl with a big pearl earring. It was a beautiful painting.

But I needed to forget about that.

Where was I?

I pushed back the blanket and swung my legs over the side of the bed. This action sent a jolt of pain everywhere but mostly through my side. I gasped and looked down.

I was wearing a white tank top. I went to lift the shirt but my arm tangled in a wire. I looked at the wire, more like a thin tube. It was attached to my arm with a needle and taped down. It was an IV. I pulled that out quickly, a small amount of blood coming to the surface. I don't know what they were putting in me but I didn't want it.

I turned my attention to my side. I lifted the tank top up and found a bandage taped onto my side. I slowly lifted that, biting my lip as the tape peeled off some very sensitive skin. Underneath the bandage was the burn from when Clarke had stopped the bleeding. The wound itself was stitched up. It looked very professional. Someone must have had to go in. There was probably internal bleeding. I'm honestly surprised I lasted as long as I did.

I let my tank top fall back down.

Who were these people?

I thought about all of my other injuries. My bicep was wrapped. My left shoulder was wrapped. My ankle was wrapped even though that was mostly healed by now. Almost all of my injuries were wrapped or taken care of in some way. Even my forearm was wrapped from the second day on the ground when a knife went through my arm. I'd forgotten about that injury since it never really hurt or caused any trouble.

When I was done taking inventory, I climbed out of bed.

The ground was cold as I walked over to the door. There was a small window. I looked through and saw that across the hall was another door just like mine.

Who was in that one? One of the 100?

A face passed the glass and I sucked in a breath.

"Nate?" I called. I pounded on the door. "Nate!"

His face appeared again. He looked a little worn out but okay.

"Cory," he yelled. I could just barely hear it.

I pounded on the door again. It was locked. I was locked in.

"You okay?" he yelled.

I nodded. "You?"

He nodded as well. I smiled.

"Where are we?"

He just shrugged. There was no way of knowing. There were no signs, no distinguishing marks.

"It's gonna be okay," he called.

I nodded softly. Wherever we were, we would get out of it. I'd survived this long. I wasn't going to be held captive in this white room.

I heard voices in the hall.

"Cordelia is through here."

Nate and I exchanged a wide eyed glance before I backed away.

I needed a weapon. There wasn't much in this room that I could use, especially on such short notice.

So I sat on the edge of the bed and kept my IV stand close to me. I could use that if worse comes to worse.

The door opened and a man walked in. I think it was a man. He had a hazmat suit on so I couldn't really see his face well.

"Cordelia," he said, seeing me. It was definitely a he.

He walked over and put the box he carried on the table next to the sofa. He turned his back on me and looked in the box.

I was curious as to what he was getting.

Maybe I wouldn't need the stand. Maybe he was here to help.

When he turned with a needle in his hand, I leapt into action.

I pushed him against the wall with the stand just below the tubes that let him breathe. I made sure not to cut those off. I pressed hard enough for him to know I was there but light enough to let him breath. I needed him to talk.

"Who are you?" I asked, putting my face close to the mask.

"Dr. Isaac Stevens," he said.

He was so scared. It was just an IV stand. And I'm still fairly weak, especially with the pain medication that they must have given me wearing off. If he wanted to, he could take me down. But he was too scared to even try.

"Where are we?"

"Quarantine," he said. His voice was shaking. It was pathetic.

"Where?" I repeated, pressing a little closer.

"Mount Weather," he said.

I was taken aback a little.

"My friends," I said.

"Some are already back in the dorms," he said. I saw him swallow nervously. "Some were kept in quarantine longer in case they brought something in. If your blood is okay, you'll be the next one released."

"How many of us are there?"

"48."

I paused and looked away for a few seconds. I had to blink back tears.

102 people touched down before the war. At the start of the war there were at least 80 of us. Almost half of us died, Bellamy and Finn included.

I swallowed and turned back.

I felt a prick in my arm and looked down to see he'd stuck a needle in me. There was something in it. A sedative.

I couldn't keep myself up. I dropped the stand and slowly fell to the ground. My eyes fluttered closed.

The second I opened my eyes, I saw the white ceiling again. I tried to sit up but I was stopped.

There was a band around my waist, holding me to the bed.

I flopped back down and looked around.

"Oh good," a voice said. "You're awake."

I looked over and saw the doctor was sitting on the sofa. His hazmat suit was still on but the helmet was off now.

"Your blood work is good," he said.

"What's going on?"

"You're being released," he said. "I've decided not to press charges and Mr. President has decided you were just afraid."

"So why I restrained?"

"I don't trust you."

"You shouldn't," I said with a slight smirk.

"I just wanted to warn you," he said, "before we released you. Adrenaline kept you alive. You had massive internal bleeding. Honestly we don't know how you were still on your feet. But here, you shouldn't feel as much of the adrenaline because you are safe here. So you need to take it easy. Or any one of your wounds could kill you."

"I'll keep that in mind," I said with a tight smile.

I knew it was bad. I knew I had a lot of injuries and some were bad. I didn't know adrenaline was the only thing keeping me alive.

"Can I go now?"

He sighed and stood up. He handed me three containers of pills. "One from each container with each meal for the next week."

I nodded.

He reached down and undid the restraint. I probably could have undone it by myself easily.

"There are clothes in that case," he said, motioning over to a case in the corner of the room. "I will be waiting outside so get dressed quickly. And one more outburst and you will be locked up instead."

He walked out of the room.

I slowly got out of bed. I knelt down and opened the case. There were many different outfits, some very beautiful. I decided to be practical.

I dressed in black leggings, a light blue flowy tank top, a white cardigan sweater, and white socks that just peeked out over my ankle boots. I threw my hair in a ponytail to get it out of my face.

I thought about somehow making a weapon. But without his needle, this guy was useless. I could take him down easily if I had to.

I knocked on the door and he opened it. I noticed Nate's door was already open. They must have released him earlier.

"This way," he said.

He led me down a hallway and into an elevator. We went to the fifth level.

A girl about our age was waiting with a smile. She had a bag in her hands.

"Hi," she said with a little wave. "I'm Maya. I'll be taking you to your friends."

I smiled at that and stepped from the elevator.

"Remember," the man said from behind me. "We'll be watching. One more outburst and you'll be locked up."

I simply nodded.

"This way," Maya said, walking down a hallway. "Your friends are excited to see you. Miller wouldn't shut up about you. And Jasper wanted us to meet."

"Jasper?" I asked, surprised. We were close but not that close.

She nodded. "He's been really nice."

And that made sense. He liked her. He probably talked her ear off and I just happened to come up.

"Right through here," she said, motioning to her left.

I looked over and stopped.

It was a fairly large room. There were lots of tables and chairs. And lots of people, my people.


	42. Safe

"Cory?"

I looked over to see Nate standing up. He pushed his chair out and hurried over, wrapping his arms around me. I buried my face in his shoulder and wrapped my good arm around him. The other was still in the stupid sling.

"God," he breathed, pulling back and looking at me. "I was so worried."

I smiled. "Sorry."

He just hugged me again.

When he pulled back, Monty was next. Then Clarke. Then Jasper. Then Harper. Then like five other people who I really only knew by name.

I didn't care. I was just excited to be back with them.

When I was finally done hugging everyone, Maya was gone. Clarke had the bag.

"Let's go for a walk," she said, nodding to the door.

I nodded and followed.

"Something is going on," she said softly as we walked.

"What are you talking about?"

"Our people are out there," she said. "They say they're looking for them but…I'm not so sure."

I swallowed and nodded. "How do you know?"

"A body came back with a bullet wound," she said. "Grounders don't use bullets."

They were out there. Someone was alive out there.

"Are you sure?"

"Not a hundred percent," she said. "But there's something else."

She was quiet as we passed people.

"A man came in covered in burns. I just saw him and the burns were mostly gone."

I furrowed my eyebrows. "What happened?"

We arrived at a room. There were a lot of bunk beds.

She dumped my bag on a bed and turned to me.

"I don't know but I'm gonna find out," she said.

"How?"

"The infirmary," she said. "It has to have the answers."

"So what are we doing here?"

"I'm going to get the answers," she explained. "I need you take care of everyone here. I'm coming back but not before I find answers."

I nodded.

She pulled her sleeve up, showing a stitched cut. And then she recut it on the bed.

"Clarke," I gasped. "Thanks for the warning," I muttered.

"Go find someone," she said. "Get them to take me to the infirmary. And then you watch everyone else. Please."

"Don't do anything stupid," I said. "Please. Just be careful."

She nodded and I turned to the door. I ran through the halls until I found a guard. Perfect.

"Hey," I called. I was panting when I reached him. Everything was on fire too. Two days of doing absolutely nothing and being pumped full of drugs will do that to you. "You have to help me. My friend cut herself."

He followed me without a word and we got back to Clarke. She was already weak from blood loss.

"I'll take her," he said. He lifted her up and turned toward the door.

I followed.

"You can't come with," he said. "But you'll see her soon."

I made eye contact with Clarke as the doors closed.

"There you are," Nate said. "Dinner starts in five minutes."

We walked to dinner in silence, got our food in silence, ate in near silence.

"You okay?"

I nodded with a smile. He cared so much.

"What's wrong?" And he knew me so well.

"I just…there's been so much death," I whispered. "And a perfect place like this existed? How come they didn't get us earlier?"

He didn't know how to respond and I didn't blame him.

I just shook my head and ate my food.

"Have you tried the cake?" Monty asked, eating his own.

I smiled and snuck a piece. He was fake mad at me but let it slide.

It was delicious.

"I'll be right back," I said, jumping up.

They laughed because they knew exactly where I was going.

"Excuse me," someone said when I picked up my cake. I turned to see an older man with white hair, a nice suit and a kind smile. "Cordelia, correct?"

"Cory," I said with a nod.

"You are friends with Clarke, yes?"

"Yeah," I said with another nod.

"You will look after here? She seems to be rather paranoid."

"If you knew what we went through," I said, "you wouldn't be judging her."

"No judgement," he said, holding up his hands. "I just want you all to know you are safe here."

"Thank you," I said.

He left and I went back to the table. I ate my cake in silence, thinking over what he said. Was Clarke just being paranoid?

After dinner, we were free to do whatever we wanted. I wanted to explore.

I was given a map, not a complete map but I would ignore that. There was a library and that was the first place I wanted to go.

"I'll see you back in the dorm," I said, kissing Nate's cheek.

"Where are you going?" he asked, grabbing my hand. He was still so concerned for me. I was a little annoyed but I mostly just thought it was cute.

"The library," I said. "I don't think anything can happen in a library."

He smiled. "Be careful anyways."

I nodded and walked away. I found the library fairly quickly and walked in. I found a book and began to read in one of the plush sofas.

"What are you reading?" a voice asked.

I looked up to see the doctor, Isaac I think, walking in.

"Lord of the Flies," I said.

"Resonates with you?" he asked, sitting on a chair next to the sofa.

"Yes," I said after a moment.

The story is all about chaos and surviving. That's all I've known on Earth. We need to survive but it's hard when there is chaos.

"I'm sorry," I said. "For before."

I don't know why I felt the need to apologize to him. I didn't know what was going on. And it's not like I even hurt him.

He didn't say anything so I continued.

"I've been on Earth for about a month," I explained. "More often than not, I've been hurt. I'm not used to people, other than my people, taking care of me. It's…a foreign idea."

He nodded. "You've been through a lot."

"You can say that again," I said, rolling my eyes.

"You are safe here, Cordelia," he said with a small smile.

Looking over at him, I noticed a few things. He wasn't as old as I thought before. He looked to be only a couple years older than me. He had a kind smile and sparkling eyes. He was tall, fairly muscular, very handsome. In his hands he was holding a book, the neon green bookmark near the end. He probably came here often to escape the blood and disease of the infirmary. He was a doctor so I knew he was smart and he knew this place well. I should keep him close.

I nodded a little. I believed him.

But should I? I didn't know this guy. For all I know, he could just be trying to gain my trust.

For some reason, I couldn't stop myself from smiling.

"Cory," I said. I figured I'd be talking with him on more than one occasion. "It was Isaac right?" He nodded. "How old are you?"

"23," he said.

"And you're a doctor?"

He nodded. "Not the lead doctor or anything but I'm getting there." He was smiling again.

"One of my…friends." I paused to swallow. "He was your age. You remind me of him."

"Was?"

I nodded. "I don't know for sure but I can't help thinking he's dead. He was fighting a Grounder when the doors closed. I want to believe he ran but…with Bellamy, you never know."

"I'm sorry," he said. He reached out and put his hand on my arm.

"Yeah," I breathed. "Me too. I wish I could've saved them all but…we were in the middle of a war. I knew we weren't all going to survive. And yet…I never wanted to think about losing them…any of them."

"You shouldn't have had to. You shouldn't have been at war. You're kids."

"Not anymore," I whispered.

We weren't kids. Kids don't hold guns, don't kill people, don't have to deal with that much death.

"Here you can be kids again," he said. "You don't have to worry about anything here."

"But I will," I said, shaking my head. "I will always worry. About anything and everything. Danger lurks around every corner. And I will not let any more of them get hurt. I won't."

I realized I was starting to cry. Tears were streaming down my cheeks and I couldn't stop them.

Would we ever be safe? For real? Sure this place seems perfect. But we aren't whole. We'd lost so many. I couldn't ever feel totally safe.

He stood and sat next to me. He hesitantly put his arm around me and I turned, crying into his shoulder. He rubbed my back as I let it all out.

"I'm sorry," I said, pulling back after a few minutes.

"No need," he said, shaking his head. "You've been through a lot."

I wiped my tears and opened my book. For a long while, we just read in silence.

I was nearly done with the book when I fell asleep.


	43. Where's Clarke?

I woke late the next morning. I was in a bed in the dorm.

How did I get there?

I turned over and saw the book. There was a neon green bookmark sticking out of it.

Isaac? Did he bring me back?

"Who was he?" Harper asked. She was in the bed next to me. She was already awake.

"Isaac," I said, sitting up. "He's a doctor here."

"He's cute," she said with a smile.

"Yeah." I smiled too.

"Breakfast is in ten minutes," she said, standing up. "There are bathrooms, through there."

"Thanks."

I grabbed clean clothes from my bag and headed over there. I just stood in front of the mirror for a little while.

Who was this girl in the mirror? I'd been through so much that I barely recognized myself. I've killed people. I've killed a lot of people. And I've lost a lot of people.

I wasn't the same girl from the Ark.

My sparkling blue eyes weren't sparkling anymore. They were red and there were dark circles under them. I still had the claw marks and the cut on my face. They were faded but still visible. There were other scrapes and bruises on my face. My hair had been washed recently but was longer than I remembered and still very tangled.

I shook my head and splashed some water on my face. I got dressed in new leggings and a long sleeve shirt. I pulled on my boots and walked back into the dorm.

"Have you seen Clarke?" Monty asked as I put my clothes into my bag.

"Not since last night," I said. "She went to the infirmary."

"No one else has seen her since."

"She's Clarke," I said with a smile. "She'll be fine."

"You're probably right," he said with a nod.

Breakfast was uneventful. The whole day was uneventful really.

I read, listened to music, talked. I wandered the halls for a while after lunch.

"Hi," Isaac said when I reached the infirmary doors. He had just walked out and made sure to close the doors behind him.

"Hi," I said with a smile. "I was just wondering if I could see Clarke."

"No one's allowed in," he said, guiding me away. "Sorry."

"Is she okay?"

"She's fine," he said with a nod. "Just resting. How are you doing?"

I shrugged. "I'm fine. The medication helps so there's no pain."

"That's great."

"Yeah," I said with a nod and a smile. "It's really nice."

"You didn't pain meds out there?"

I looked up and saw him smiling.

"Sadly no," I said with a smile and a shake of my head. "It only really sucked when I was stabbed in the side."

"Yeah," he breathed.

"Did you fix me up?"

"Our lead doctor did," he said. "She's the best."

"So I'm all better?"

"If you keep resting and taking your medicine."

"I will," I said with a nod.

We walked in silence for a little while. We were kind of just meandering along, not really going anywhere.

"Do you know anything about patrols going out?" I asked. "Have they found anyone?"

"Not that I know of," he said, shaking his head. "They would have had to go into quarantine and there hasn't been anyone in there since you got out."

I sighed. Does that mean no one made it? The entire Ark falls from the sky and not a single person made it? That's hard to believe.

But maybe it was true.

I didn't know if I should hope it's true or hope it's not. I wanted to believe it was true, that these people were really helping us. But I wanted to believe it wasn't because I didn't want to believe everyone was dead.

"They could still be out there somewhere," he offered. "The patrols can't go very far so it might take a while to find them."

I nodded. We stopped in front of the mess hall again.

"I've got to get back to work," he said. "But I'll be in the library after dinner if you wanted to talk some more."

I smiled. "Thanks."

He walked away and I found Monty and Jasper. They looked worried. I saw Maya walking over, looking very serious.

"What's wrong?" I asked, stopping next to their table.

"Clarke's missing," Monty said.

"She's in the infirmary," I said, shaking my head. "She's resting."

"That's not all," Maya said.

I looked down at her with furrowed eyebrows. I quickly sat down.

"What?"

"Apparently, Clarke had some kind of breakdown," she explained. "She just snapped. Started pulling out her stitches, trying to hurt herself."

"Where is she now?" Monty asked.

"Psych ward. Being monitored. I talked to a friend who works there. She thinks it might be a couple days before the doctors let anyone see her."

"We'll see about that," Monty said, getting up.

I followed him, leaving Jasper and Maya to talk.

"Monty," I said, pulling him to a stop. "She needs rest, okay? It's a miracle we all haven't snapped yet."

"It's Clarke," he said. "She doesn't just snap."

He walked away again.

I sighed and sat down next to Nate. He was playing cards with a few others.

Why didn't Isaac tell me about Clarke? I was just talking to him. If Maya knows, he should too. Did he lie?

I pushed that out of my mind. I listened to music, played cards, played the piano, talked.

I couldn't take it. I couldn't take being cooped up like this. I needed to do something.

So I did something. I made my own weapons, just like when I was first locked up.

I pulled two screws from the table next to my bed. The bottom drawer no longer worked but I think we can deal with that.

I sat on the floor, plugged in some music and sharpened my two screws.

"What are you doing?"

I jumped and pulled out my headphones. I looked up to see Nate looking down at me. He knelt down.

"Are you making weapons?"

"Yes," I breathed, looking down. It felt stupid now.

"We're safe here."

"Are we?" I asked, looking up at him. "He lied to me."

"Isaac?" he asked, raising his eyebrows. "This is about a guy?"

I sighed. "No. It's about no one being straight with us."

It was his turn to sigh. "Dinner in five." He stood up and paused. "We are safe."

I finally nodded and stood. I put the screws under my pillow and didn't think about them again.

We ate dinner, talking and laughing like nothing could ever go wrong. I went to the library afterwards.

I walked in and paused when I saw Isaac was already there.

"Hi," he said with a smile.

"Why did you lie?" I crossed my arms.

"What are you talking about?"

"You said Clarke was fine. Being in the psych ward is not fine."

"She's perfectly fine now," he said with a smile. "She just needs her rest."

"So when can we see her?"

"A couple days."

I sighed and sat on the other end of the sofa. I began to read, ignoring him.

It's not like he really lied. He just didn't tell the whole truth. But nowadays, that's as bad as lying. Not telling the whole truth can get someone killed.

"I'm sorry," he said after a few minutes of silence. "I didn't want to worry you."

I just continued reading. I had to get up and get a new book. When I came back, I sat next to him, leaning against him.

I saw him smile.

We read until I fell asleep again.


	44. Not A Date

I woke in my own bed again. Isaac must have carried me back again.

I showered and got dressed. I wore a long sleeve flowy lavender dress. I threw on my boots again and toweled off my hair a little. I didn't have to wear the sling anymore. Apparently my shoulder was mostly healed and I just needed to be a little more careful…not likely but I could try.

"Ooh," Harper said when I sat back on my bed. "You look pretty."

"Thanks," I said with a smile.

"Got a date?" Nate asked, leaning against the bed.

"No," I sighed, rolling my eyes. "Just felt like wearing a dress."

"But aren't you reading with Isaac again?"

"That's not a date," I said, giving Harper a look.

"Close enough," she said, waving her hand.

"Not really," I said.

It was true that I kind of liked Isaac. He was a great guy. He was smart, kind, funny.

But being with him seems wrong somehow. Bellamy did kiss me and he could still be alive. I don't yet know how I feel about him. Did I like him or was he just a good friend?

And there's still Murphy to consider. Yes, I was mad but I still liked him, still cared whether he was alive or not. He was gone before the fire so I can expect him to somehow still be alive out there.

I can't forget about Jace. He saved my life at least three times in less than three days. I don't know how I feel about him either, or if he even liked me.

Earth was so confusing. Up in the Ark I never had to worry about picking a guy or feeling bad for others. I was lucky if anyone liked me. That could also be due to the fact that I wasn't even 13 yet.

"Is this about Murphy?" Nate asked softly, looking down at me with raised eyebrows. I don't know if Harper heard but she was still trying to listen in. I didn't really care if she knew this.

I shrugged. "He only left a couple days ago."

"Left being the key word."

"That's true," I said with a nod.

"What would you do if you saw him right now?" Harper asked. She had heard.

"Punch him in the face first," I said with a little laugh. "But then I'd hug him. I still care about him."

Nate rolled his eyes. I punched his arm.

"I didn't say anything."

"Your face did," I said, pointing to his face.

"You know I've always liked you and Bellamy way better," Monty said. I turned around quickly to see him sit on the bed behind me.

"Yeah," Harper said, leaning forward from her bed. "You guys would be cute."

"I am not talking about this with you guys," I said, standing up. "Ever."

"I'll get her to talk eventually," Harper said with a laugh as I left.

Breakfast was nice and calm. I went back and finished the screws, sharpening them both to points as I listened to music. I was able to finish both. I put one in my boot and one in my ponytail. I didn't know for sure what was going on. Was I truly safe here?

Lunch was full of life with everyone talking and laughing. After lunch was spent in the mess hall playing cards, listening to music, laughing.

Dinner was full of laughter since there was chocolate cake and Jasper and Monty were in love with it.

Monty moaned when he took a bite. I couldn't help but laugh.

"Good?"

"Amazing," he moaned, taking another bite.

I kept on laughing. I don't remember the last time I'd laughed that much over something that stupid.

After dinner, I went to the library.

"Hi," he said when I sat down next to him.

"When do I get to see Clarke?" I asked.

"Soon," he said, going back to his book.

"Soon?"

"Only the doctor knows when," he said.

I sighed and decided that was good enough. I slipped off my boots and put my legs on the couch. I leaned back against the arm of the couch and read for hours.

I finished the book and set it down.

"What is it like out there?" he asked before I got up. I looked over. "I've never been outside."

"It was…beautiful," I said with a small smile. "Big green trees, cool clear water, bright blue skies. It was beautiful. You know, besides the Grounders trying to kill us."

"Why?"

I shrugged. "It was mostly about territory. They were big on that."

"They killed you over territory?"

I nodded. "But it didn't help that we started killing them too."

"Did you kill?"

I nodded. "23 people."

He raised his eyebrows at me.

"23," I repeated. "I remember every single one."

"I'm so sorry," he whispered, placing his hand on my knee.

I lifted the corner of my lips into a half smile.

"I did what I had to do," I said. "That's it. It was mostly during a war."

We were silent for a few minutes.

"How'd you guys get food?"

"Mostly hunting," I said. "That was my expertise. But we collected nuts and fruits too."

"What about shelter?"

"We stayed in the dropships, tents, whatever we could find."

"Sounds…intense," he said.

I nodded. "But we more or less figured it out."

"What about medicine? You had quite a few injuries."

I laughed a little. "Yeah. A couple were somewhat fixed by the Grounders."

He gave me a look of disbelief.

"Jasper and I crossed the river on our way here. He was hit in the chest with a spear. I was hit with an arrow and then knocked unconscious. When I woke up, I fought back and got a few more wounds."

I showed him the ones I could and explained the other ones. "I have scars on the top of my thighs, a slice across my stomach, this…a knife went through my arm, an arrow embedded in my gut, an arrow to the shoulder and I twisted my ankle."

He gave me another look of disbelief.

"They put this seaweed stuff on the wounds and they more or less healed pretty quickly. We probably should have gone back for the seaweed again but we didn't. Other injuries like my scratches and my split lip healed naturally. My cut on my cheek was poisoned so we tortured a Grounder and he eventually gave up the antidote. I got a hook stuck in my arm at one point but I just pulled that out and wrapped it up. And then the stab wound, we cauterized it and then you guys fixed me up."

"Did everyone get injured this much?"

I shook my head. "I'm just…very unlucky. For most people, the worst they got were a couple scrapes. And you know I'm happy they didn't get hurt more because…I mean it hurts me when others get hurt…but I would have loved to even out the injuries a little more."

He was smiling a little and shaking his head. "But no pain now, right?"

"Not now," I said with a smile. "The pills are working wonders."

"That's good," he said with a nod.

I sighed and stood up. "I'm gonna head to bed."

"Okay," he said with a nod. He stood up.

"You don't have to leave," I said with a little smile.

He shrugged. "I thought I could walk you back to your dorm. I mean, if that's okay with you."

I nodded with a smile. We walked in silence for a little while. The walk from the library to the dorms was only a couple minutes.

"Do you think they're still out there?" I asked after a minute of silence. I was wringing my hands as I walked, staring at the ground as I walked.

"I don't know," he said.

"My mom and my daughter are already dead," I said, licking my lips. "The Exodus ship crashed and…they were on it." I sniffled, trying not to cry again. I was done crying. "But my best friend, her parents, Nate's dad. They were all on the Ark still. Bellamy, Finn, Murphy…they're fighters. They could still be alive, right?"

He didn't say anything. I glanced up at him. He was looking down at the end of the hallway, unsure of what to say.

I nodded and we stopped in front of the dorms.

"Thanks for walking me back," I said with a smile.

He smiled softly and leaned down to kiss my cheek. "Good night." He walked away.

I walked into the dorms with a smile.

"Not a date?" Harper asked when I walked over to my bed. She'd seen the whole thing, Nate right next to her.

"Not a date," I confirmed.

She rolled her eyes.

"I don't like him," Nate said. He was pouting a little.

I smiled. "Too bad. I like him."

"Really?"

"Not like that," I said, looking over at Harper. She had a look of disbelief on her face. "I don't think."

She laughed.

I quickly changed into a pair of pajamas I didn't know I had. I climbed into bed and the lights were turned off not long after. I fell asleep.

I realized that I didn't even need the song anymore. I felt safe here. For the first time in years, I truly felt safe again.


	45. Radiation

I woke in the morning. I quickly got dressed in leggings and a sweater. I went to breakfast earlier than anyone else.

I sat down with my food. I ate alone for a while.

"We still can't see Clarke," Jasper sighed, sitting down across from me.

"I can talk to Isaac maybe," I offered. I paused and shrugged. "Or I could sneak in."

He rolled his eyes at me. I took another bite of food as Monty sat down.

"We still can't see Clarke," he said.

I sighed. I opened my mouth to say something but a man interrupted me.

"Your presence is requested by the President," he said, looking down at Jasper.

"Me?" Jasper asked the same time Monty asked, "Him?"

"When you are done eating, please head to the President's office," he said before walking away.

We all looked at each other.

"What'd you do?" I hissed, leaning forward a little.

"I don't know," he said, shaking his head. "Should I go?"

"I think you have to," I said, glancing over at guard. He was watching us from the far wall.

"What does he want?" Monty asked.

"Here's the plan," I said, looking over at Jasper. "You go to the meeting. Monty and I will go back to the dorms and wait for you. You don't come back after an hour, I'm going to look for you while Monty finds the others. Okay? Nothing is going to happen."

They both nodded.

"Now stop stressing," I said. "It looks bad." I smiled and stole some of Jasper's cinnamon roll.

He fake glared but laughed it off. Even Monty was laughing.

When we finished breakfast, we went our separate ways.

"He'll be okay," I said, putting my hand on Monty's arm as we walked. "We're safe here."

For almost an hour, we sat there. As the time went on, we both became more and more stressed out.

We were safe here. Right?

"Jasper," I gasped when I saw him walk in. I jumped up and wrapped my arms around him. He didn't return the hug though.

"Clarke's gone," he said simply. He looked angry almost.

"What?" Monty gasped.

Clarke wouldn't just leave us. She said she was figuring it out. She said she'd be back as soon as she had. She wouldn't have just left us here.

"Dante said Clarke left."

"And you believe him?" Monty asked.

"Yes, I believe him," Jasper said. "Clarke left us, Monty. She faked being crazy to get into medical and she took off."

No. Clarke wouldn't do that. We are safe here. Right?

"We need to go after her," Monty said quickly.

The door closed behind us. We all turned and saw Maya, looking a little awkward. Jasper and Monty exchanged a look before Monty turned and grabbed a backpack.

"Where you going?" Jasper sighed.

"The dropship for starters," Monty said. He started packing what little he had.

"I just heard," Maya said.

She looked at all three of us. I gave her a small smile. It's nice that she came to check on Jasper.

I knelt down and grabbed a bag. I started putting what little I had into it.

"You're leaving?"

"Yes," Monty said. "We are."

"No," Jasper snapped. "We're not."

"What would Clarke do?"

That got me thinking. I couldn't just leave everyone else here. Yes, we needed to find Clarke but we needed to stick together. We were safe here.

"No, you can't," Maya said. "It's too dangerous."

"Don't worry," Jasper said with a breathy laugh. I paused and looked up at him. "I'm a coward."

"You're not," Maya said. "You're smart. You can't make her come back."

"Monty's right," he breathed, looking over at Monty. "She'd go after me, but why am I so scared to do the same thing?"

"Maya," I gasped. Her face was turning blotchy red.

"Woah," Jasper breathed, looking back over at her. "What-"

"Radiation," she breathed, eyes wide. She was already starting to wheeze. An alarm was blaring. "There's a containment breach."

"How?" Jasper asked.

"I don't know!" She tried to scan her card to get out but the doors wouldn't open. She was starting to really freak out.

"What do we do?" Monty gasped, looking over at us.

She ran over and tried another door. I jumped up and ran over.

When she turned around, her face and arms were covered in burns. That's what got the guys to actually do something. While I tried to help Maya in any way I could, which really wasn't anything, the guys banged on the door and called for help.

After maybe two minutes, a group came in in hazmat suits. They quickly took Maya away. She was already unconscious and burns covered the majority of her body.

The three of us followed. Jasper was really broken up. He even held my hand as we followed.

We had to wait outside while they dressed her in a hospital gown and hooked her up to the machines.

"She's hooked up to the standard treatment," Isaac said, stepping from the room. "You may see her."

I smiled a little at him and stepped inside with the guys. Isaac left to go check on other patients. The head doctor was here to take care of Maya.

"Temperature's 104 and rising," the doctor said as we walked in. There was another person taking notes. "Blood pressure 180 over 120. Blister coverage now 75%. Standard treatment isn't working."

"Wait," Jasper said, eye widening. "What does that mean? Is there a non-standard treatment?" His voice broke. I slipped my hand into his again.

She looked at him and sighed. "There is one thing we could try."

"Then what are you waiting for?" Jasper snapped.

"It's-" She paused and walked toward us. "Unorthodox. Because you were raised in space, your circulatory systems developed the ability to filter radiation out of your blood. Now it's just a theory, but if we were to circulate Maya's blood through your system..."

"I could make her better," Jasper breathed, looking at her.

"What happens to him?" Monty asked.

"I'm not sure," the doctor said.

I furrowed my eyebrows. I didn't know whether I wanted Jasper to do it or not. We don't know what's going to happen to him. But Maya will die without him. He's not going to let that happen.

"I know that look," Monty said, looking over at Jasper. "Don't even think about it. It's too dangerous."

"I'm in," Jasper said after a minute. He nodded at the doctor.

I didn't even know how to react.

I turned while Jasper changed into a hospital gown just like Maya's. They brought in another bed and another couple machines. Jasper got into the bed and Monty and I stood off to the side.

The doctor prepped a few things and we just watched.

"You sure about this?" Monty asked, looking down at Jasper. "Look at her. I know you like her, but her blood is about to go into your body."

Maya suddenly jerked. There was rapid beeping from a machine. They shot her with something.

"What is it?" Jasper gasped. "What's happening?"

"We need to do this now," the doctor said.

I bit my lip.

"Jasper," Monty said.

"I can't just let her die," he snapped. "Let's do this."

"This will sting a little." She slowly pushed a needle into his neck.

"Ow!" he gasped. "A little?"

She pulled out part of it and connected a tube. She turned on the machine. Blood from Maya went into Jasper and after a couple seconds blood from Jasper went into Maya.

Monty and I looked at Jasper intently. His eyes were starting to cross a little.

"What is it?" Monty asked, scared. "What's wrong?" He looked between the doctor and Jasper.

"Nothing," he said, laughing a little. "I feel nice."

"Maya's been heavily sedated," the doctor explained. "You will, of course, feel that, too. It's perfectly normal."

"If you've never done this before, how do you know?" I asked, confused.

"You're right," she said with a nod. "I should have said: It's to be expected. This will take a while. Why don't you head back to your room? I'll send for you once he's awake."

Monty sat in the chair instead.

"I'll be back in the dorms," I said, looking down at Monty. I put his hand on his shoulder. "I'll check in every hour."

He nodded and turned his attention back to Jasper.

I headed back to the dorms first.

"Where have you been?" Nate asked. "I was about to go look for you."

I sighed. "Long story." He gave me a look. "Jasper talked to the President. Clarke left. That's why we haven't seen her in a while. When we were in the dorms, there was a radiation leak. Maya was in there. Jasper volunteered for a blood transfusion. He and Monty are there now. I'm gonna check back in in an hour."

"Wait," he said. "Clarke's gone? And Jasper's having a blood transfusion?"

I nodded. "I know. It's a lot."

I sat on my bed. I laid back for a bit.

"What are you doing now?"

"Resting," I sighed. "It's been a stressful morning."

"Okay," he sighed. "I'm gonna hang out with some of the guys. You're gonna be okay, right?"

"I'm fine," I said, giving him a look. "I'll see you later."

I laid in bed for a while. I listened to some music.

After about an hour, I got up and went to visit Jasper again.

"How is he?" I asked, walking into the room.

Monty was still sitting in the chair, barely staying awake. Maya was looking better, not a hundred percent yet but better. Jasper was asleep but looking okay.

Monty just shrugged.

"Do you need anything?"

He shook his head.

"Well I'll be back in an hour if you need anything," I said with a smile.

He simply nodded.

I walked around. This time I went to the mess hall.

No one was there. Everyone had decided to stay in the dorms today and I had an hour until lunch started.

I sat at the piano and played. I didn't do much more than scales but I tried. It was quite relaxing.

Time flew. An hour had gone by.

I made my way back to the room. Monty was asleep this time. Jasper was a little pale but okay. Maya's burns were mostly gone.

I went back to the piano. I played until people came in for lunch. I ate a quick lunch and read in the library until the hour was up.

All three were still asleep when I got there.

I read in the library for another hour.

They were still asleep.

I wandered around for the next hour. I walked most of the third level.

On the way to the room, I heard voices.

I paused behind a column and listened.

"But it worked," a woman said. That's what had me pausing. What worked?

"How is the patient?" a man asked. He sounded older but I didn't dare to look.

"Her recovery is miraculous," the woman said. I figured it was the doctor, Dr. Tsing I think.

"I was referring to Jasper," the man said. From this, I was guessing the President. Not many people here knew our names.

"He'll recover, as I assured you he would," the doctor said.

"That's not the point," a new voice said. This one sounded younger than the President. "You disobeyed a direct order from the president not to experiment on those kids."

Experiment? Were Maya and Jasper an experiment?

"Mr. President, why bring them here if not to use them?"

"That's none of your concern," the mystery man said. Who was he?

"Shouldn't you be in the dungeon with your monsters?"

Monsters? In the dungeon?

"They're not monsters," the man scoffed. "They are soldiers. And the reason why you get to play doctor in your ivory tower."

"That's enough," the President snapped. He sounded mad. "Both of you. We all have jobs to do. Mine is to be obeyed."

"Yes, sir," Dr. Tsing said. "Can I just say...the first human trial was a success. After what we saw tonight, in my opinion, we have no choice but to move ahead with the forty-seven."

Move ahead? With what? What were they going to do to us?

"That'll be all, Dr. Tsing," the President said.

I heard footsteps walking away and the elevator opened.

"Tell me about the radiation leak."

"The air filtration system malfunctioned, but the containment system worked."

"Malfunctioned?"

There was a pause. Something was wrong.

"I'll look into it," the man said. "Now go paint, dad." Dad? The President had a son? "I'm your head of security. I'll clean this up. You have a big decision to make."

"What would you do?"

About experimenting on us? Nothing. Do not experiment. I wanted to go smack both of them for even considering it.

"Me? I'd use them."

"Just like that?"

"Our people come first, right?"

They are not going to do this. Granted, I don't really have any idea of what's going on. But they are not going to do this.

I heard footsteps. I listened until they were both gone.

I hurried up to Jasper's room.

I made the decision not to tell them, not until I had more information.

"Hey," I said with a smile. All three of them were awake now. "How are you guys feeling?"

Jasper leaned over and puked.

"Oh," I breathed, wrinkling my nose.

We stayed for a little while. The doctor came back and I tried hard not to glare at her.

"We're going to keep you both here for a couple days," she said. "Just to make sure you are okay."

Monty and I eventually left. By that time, it was dinner.

We ate in silence, unsure of what to say. Jasper's okay but what if something had gone wrong?

I went to the library but I didn't read. I just thought.

What experiments are they thinking about? More blood transfusions? Jasper's been puking up his guts all day.

Where could I find more information without anyone finding out? Could I trust Isaac? Could I ask him? Or was he in on it with the doctor?

How could we get out? Just earlier today, we could leave. Can we all leave? Maybe we should just go while we can.

I decided to go to bed early tonight. I had an early morning of snooping around.


	46. Sneaking Around

Jasper would be on bedrest for a couple days. Maya would too. I wouldn't have to worry about them but I'd still check on them a couple times.

Monty was going to be staying with him for a lot of the day or staying in the room, mad at Jasper for doing it. I'd check in a few times but he should be fine too.

Nate was hanging out with everyone else. They would probably all be in the mess hall, nothing to worry about.

I woke early and slipped into some new clothes. I made sure my screws were in place and snuck from the room.

I didn't know where answers would be. There would most likely be some in the infirmary but there was no way I could sneak in there.

So I traveled around the third level and tried every door. Most wouldn't open unless I had a key card. The only ones that would open were simple supply closets or empty rooms.

I needed a key card.

So I went to go visit Jasper and Maya after breakfast.

"Hey," I said with a smile, walking into the room. "How are you?"

"Better," Jasper said. He leaned over and dry-heaved into a bucket.

"Much better," I said with a nod.

He laughed when he leaned back against his pillow.

"And you?" I asked, looking over at Maya.

"I'm fine now," she said. "I'm being released tomorrow morning."

"That's great," I said with a smile. "Anything I can get you guys?"

They both shook their heads, Jasper looking a little queasy afterwards.

"Then I'll fill up your waters and leave you two to talk," I said.

I grabbed their waters, making sure to grab Maya's card as well. I filled them up and gave them back.

"Have fun," I called, leaving.

I smiled as I held the key card.

Where to first?

I probably wouldn't be allowed everywhere but I just needed a couple places.

I didn't even need the card, not really at least. I ducked behind a column when I heard someone coming.

"Which room, Sir?"

"This one," a woman's voice said. It was the doctor.

"Can I ask what they are for?"

"A backup plan," a man said. I recognized him as the President's son, Cage.

A backup plan? What's the original plan?

I carefully peaked around the column. There were two guards carrying cages. They were walking into a room at the end of the hallway. I made sure to stay low as I watched, hoping no one would look over here since I was all the way across the open room.

Cage and Dr. Tsing were watching them.

"Remember," Cage said, turning to her. "Only if I give you the word. Do not go off by yourself again."

"We need those kids," she said simply.

Was she talking about us again? I almost gasped. Were those cages for us?

"Dad want to wait until the kid is better at least," he said.

"So we wait until then," she said. "But you didn't see the results. They are amazing. We could do it."

Do it? Do what?

"Soon," he said with a nod.

For close to an hour, I had to sit there and wait. I couldn't exactly sneak away without them seeing me. Who knows what would happen if they saw me.

When they were done, they all parted ways. I waited until they were all gone before I hurried over.

The key card worked, which I thought was weird. They probably haven't changed it yet. It probably used to be a blank room and it didn't matter if someone like Maya had gone in. That will probably change soon so I had to hurry.

I opened the door and stopped. Cages lined the walls. Each cage was big enough to fit a person but that person could never be comfortable.

Were they really going to put us in these things?

There was a medical chair in the middle of the room. It could lie flat or be upright. There was a whole in the headrest, enough so that you could fit your face in it. There were a few monitors next to it.

What were they going to do in here?

I quickly left. I didn't want to be caught in here.

I was at least away from the room when I was caught. I quickly slipped the card in my back pocket.

"What are you doing down here?" Cage asked, stopping when he saw me.

"I've been looking for the gyms," I said, furrowing my eyebrows and pretending to be lost. "I got a little turned around and forgot my map."

He sighed. He looked relieved. "They're on level six."

"Oh," I sighed. "What level am I on?"

"Three." He looked a little irritated.

"Oh. Same level as medical, right?"

He nodded like I was stupid.

"Thank you," I said, walking the wrong way.

"Medical's the other way."

"Oh," I gasped, pretending to be embarrassed. "Thank you."

I quickly hurried back to medical. Both were asleep when I got there. I put Maya's key card back and left.

I needed to figure this out. But how? I needed someone else's key card.

I went to lunch and thought about it.

And then it hit me. Or I hit it.

I ran into Emmerson and stole his key card. It was easy enough and I heard he was on break so he wouldn't need it for a while, hopefully. And if he did, hopefully he wouldn't be able to trace it back to me.

"I'm so sorry," I gasped, regaining my balance.

He just scoffed. Then he realized others were watching. "It's perfectly fine," he said with a tight smile.

I hated him. I have never actually spoken to him before now but he acted like he hated me. Thanks.

I hurried to the elevator. Luckily, no one was in there. I went down to the lowest level, level 7. All I knew about that level was that was where the President's office was.

I decided that if anyone caught me, I was just trying to ask the President questions. I was going to ask if radiation leaks were a regular occurrence and how they fight them. That sounded good, I think.

I wasn't caught. Instead, I found a doorway. On a whim, I scanned the card. It unlocked and I opened it.

It was a staircase. It went down another level.

I slowly and quietly walked down it. No one was around. Like anywhere. It was a little strange.

I heard a door opening and I quickly put my back to the wall and slid into a doorway. I hoped they weren't going this way. I also hoped this door wouldn't open.

My prayers were answered and I almost cried in relief.

I peeked around the corner and watched as a door opened. People in hazmat suits came in. And they were dragging in Grounders.

What was going on?

I carefully watched as they went down the hallway.

Where were they going? What were they doing with Grounders? Why would they bring them in here?

The door closed and they turned at the end of the hallway. I followed and again prayed I wouldn't get caught.

I ducked in a doorway but I was okay again. They went in a room and I peeked in. It was a big open space with drains on the floor. Grounders were chained up and naked. They were being hosed down, scrubbed and burned. They were screaming.

I ducked down again, eyes wide. What was going on?

I stayed tucked in a corner while I waited for them. It was a long time before anyone came out. When they did, an unconscious Grounder was between them. The Grounder was wrapped in gauze but had no clothes.

Where were they taking him?

I watched as they disappeared around the corner. I followed at a safe distance but couldn't go any further. There was a door that opened to reveal another hallway. They were gone.

I heard voice down it though. I let the door close and took off at a run. I quickly ran up the stairs and opened the door. I leaned against the wall and panted for a few moments.

I heard footsteps and quickly pushed off the wall. I started slowly walking down the hallway.

"Excuse me," someone said.

I stopped and looked behind me. It was a guard.

"Can I help you?"

"Uh...yeah," I said with a smile. "Can you direct me to the President's office?"

"He's not taking guests at the moment," he said. "Maybe come back after dinner."

"Oh okay, thanks," I said. I walked back to the elevator. I went back to the dorms.

Now I had to process and get the card back to Emmerson.

I went to dinner and found a way. I bent down under the table and pretended to pick up his key card. I made my way over to Emmerson.

"Excuse me," I said, tapping his shoulder. "I found this under the table. You must have dropped it when I ran into you earlier."

He looked suspicious but smiled. "Thank you."

I nodded and walked out of the room. I went to the library again. I didn't read. I thought again.

What could I do?

We had to wait until Jasper was better. Then we had to get out of here. All of us.

I went to bed and decided that tomorrow I would get in shape. We had to get out of here. And I have a feeling we're not just going to be able to go easily.


	47. Not An Accident

The next morning, I woke late. I showered and got dressed. I decided to wear a dress just because it would be easier to take off to run later. I had shorts and a sports bra underneath.

I went to breakfast.

"Where were you yesterday?" Harper asked, sitting next to me.

"Around," I said with a smile.

"Did you see Isaac yesterday?"

I shook my head.

"Are you going to see him today?"

I shrugged.

"You should," she said. She glanced over at him. He was walking in right now. "He's so cute."

I rolled my eyes. He sat next to me with a smile.

"Hey."

"Hi," he said. "You going to the library tonight?"

I nodded. "After dinner. You gonna be there?"

"Of course," he said with a smile.

"Then I will see you later." I stood up.

"Where are you going?" Harper asked.

"The gym," I said. "Gotta burn some calories."

She gave me a look but I just waved as I walked away.

I found the gym fairly easily. There were treadmills, stationary bikes, elliptical. There were also weight lifting equipment.

I decided to start with the treadmill. I started out walking since I hadn't really had cause to run the last couple days. I was a little out of shape.

I worked my way up to running. After an hour, I was full on sprinting. I slowly went back down to walking.

For the next hour, maybe hour and a half, I worked on the punching bag. I punched and kicked until I was bruised.

There was a broom in the corner of the room. I grabbed that and broke the handle off. I messed around with that.

I hit the punching bag with it. I twirled it…or at least tried to. I laughed at myself as I dropped it multiple times. I tried to use the broom to balance as I kicked with both legs. I fell a lot of times but laughed it off and kept going until I could do it. I could put the broomstick on the ground and swing around it, kicking out. I would then land and be ready to hit with the stick.

It sounds bad but I wanted to see if I could take someone down with this broomstick. I put that back and hoped no one would see that it was broken.

For about fifteen minutes, I worked on the pullup bar. I haven't yet had to worry about hanging from somewhere for a long time. But you never know. I did some pullups and then I just hung there to see how long I could last. If I had to flex, I could make it a little less than two minutes. If it's dead weight, I can last closer to five minutes.

"How long you been hanging?"

I turned my head to see Nate walking in.

"Something like four minutes," I said, focusing on the bar again.

"Why?"

"You never know," I said, biting my lip. It was getting really difficult. If I really had to, I could go longer. But I dropped to the ground.

I looked over at Nate. "I've been sitting around for almost a week now. I'm getting flabby."

He rolled his eyes and playfully punched my arm. "I don't think it's possible for you to be flabby."

It was my turn to roll my eyes. "I'm weak. It took a long time before I could start running."

"You really think running is a good idea? You had internal bleeding."

"Like a week ago."

He sighed, realizing he wasn't going to get anywhere.

"Well, it's lunch," he said. "Harper told me you were here and I figured I'd had to drag you to lunch."

I sighed and grabbed my stuff. I threw the dress on and slipped my boots on.

We had a nice lunch. I studied Cage while he was eating. What was his plan?

I decided after this, I would hang out with the others for a little while. The last few days, I haven't really hung out with them a lot.

We played cards, listened to music, laughed out loud.

Around 3, I went to visit Jasper.

"How are you doing?" I asked, sitting by his feet.

He shrugged. "Less throwing up." He looked down at my hands as I patted his leg. "What's with the bruises?"

"Punching bag in the gym," I said with a smile. "Getting back into shape."

"Hey," he said with a smile. It was a devious smile. There was going to be some sarcastic joke. "Round is a shape."

I gasped, jaw dropping. "That was so rude." I slapped his leg.

"Hey, I'm sick."

"You're throwing up," I sighed. "Nothing to do with your leg."

"You're mean to me," he pouted.

I smiled and stood up. "When are you being released?"

"Tomorrow morning," he said with a smile.

I leaned down and kissed the top of his head. "I'll see you tomorrow."

"Bye," he called as I left.

I headed back to the gym. I ran again. I did pushups and situps. I did squats. I practiced some moves by myself. Then I used the broomstick again.

Finally, it was dinner. I went to dinner. I sat with the others. Monty was happy Jasper was being discharged tomorrow. Nate won a game of cards and is holding it above everyone's heads.

After that, I went to the library. I started reading. Isaac came a little later.

"Hey," I said with a smile. "How was your day?"

He shrugged. "Administered treatments. That's about it."

"What is the treatment?"

"We circulate the blood," he said. "Cleans it up a little."

"Oh," I said with a nod.

"What'd you do today?"

"I was in the gym the majority of the day," I said. "Gotta get back in shape."

"For what?"

I thought about the secrets I'd found yesterday. I couldn't tell him though.

I shrugged. "You never know."

He nodded and started reading. We read for hours before we walked back to the dorms. I went to bed quickly.

I woke the next morning and went to breakfast like usual. I showered and dressed in jeans and a long sleeve shirt first.

Jasper was going to be released in an hour or two. Most of us decided to stay in the dorms until then. We all wanted to make sure he was okay.

I sat on my bed, talking with Nate and Harper.

"So you're serious?" Harper asked, shocked. "No progress?"

"You'd get along with Tabs," I said with a laugh. Nate was laughing too.

"You suck at romance," she scoffed.

"I was with Murphy so…"

They were both laughing now.

"Tonight," she said. "Tonight you are at least going to get a kiss."

"I don't want to hear about this," Nate said quickly.

"Maybe," I said to Harper. "I'll think about it."

"Do you think the others landed?" Nate asked suddenly.

"I want to believe they did," I said. "I want to believe your dad, Tabs, her parents. I really want to believe they're out there."

"But?"

"But…wouldn't they have told us. They said they were looking for them."

We were silent again. I listened to music and talked about random stuff with everyone.

Jasper came in an hour and a half later.

"Jasper," I said with a smile.

He put a box down on his bed. He then turned to everyone.

"I've got an announcement," he said.

Everyone gathered around, intrigued.

"They want volunteers for the treatment," he said.

I was taken aback. The treatment? They want us to do what Jasper did? They want us to puke for days?

I wasn't alone.

"Guys, think about everything they've done for us," he said. "I mean, they gave us shelter, clean clothes. They kept us safe from the Grounders." He paused and looked around. People were starting to leave.

I looked down. Was it starting? Were we going into those cages? If we didn't volunteer, would we be forced?

Should I tell them what I know?

"Miller? They saved your life, right?"

"Dude, you puked for three days," Nate said. It was true

"That was different. The normal treatments wouldn't be as bad."

"So they say," Monty added.

"So what, then? Only puking for one day? Nah. I'm out." Nate walked out.

"Sorry, Jasper," Harper said, standing up. "I'm out, too."

Now pretty much everyone was leaving. I stayed sitting.

"Come on," Jasper groaned. "They gave us cake! I got a sign-up sheet."

"What are you doing?" Monty asked, standing up.

"What?"

"When did you start working for them? You know what? Never mind. Now that you're better, we're going after Clarke."

I stood up and saw Maya was walking over.

"Of course," Monty sighed. "Right on time."

"Hey, guys," she said. "Jasper." She held up a notebook. "I'm so glad to see you're feeling better."

 _Act normal. They're watching._

What?

"Thanks," he said hesitantly. "I am."

She turned the page.

 _The breach wasn't an accident. Follow me!_

"You look, um, rested."

"Hey, it's pizza day," she said with a smile. "Who's hungry?"

We followed her from the room. We walked down the hallway until we made it to a door. Maya opened it and we all filed in.


	48. The Treatment

"We don't have much time, but we can talk freely here," she said as the door closed. She looked nervous.

"What the hell is going on?" Jasper asked. She started to crying. "Maya?"

"I'm sorry," she whispered.

"About what? What? What do you mean, it wasn't an accident?"

"She means they exposed her to radiation on purpose," I said. Why would they do that?

"I'm betting it was to get you to agree to be her blood brother," Monty said. Maya nodded. "I knew it. Clarke was right."

"Monty, be quiet," Jasper said. "Did you know about this?"

"No."

"And why would they do that to you?"

"Because the standard treatment sucks compared to you," she said.

"That's what Dante said," Jasper said.

"What's the standard treatment?" I asked. Isaac said something about circulating blood.

"Through there," Maya said. She led us farther into the room.

It hit me right before I saw them. Circulating blood. The transfusion circulated Maya's blood through Jasper's system. Why else would they have Grounders in the mountain? They were using the Grounders to keep them alive.

It was still an awful sight. Hundreds of cages full of hundreds of Grounders.

"Oh, my God," Jasper breathed. "Are those all Grounders?"

"Wait a second," Monty said. He looked back at Maya. "Why are you showing us this?"

"Because I'm afraid," Maya said, sniffling.

"Of what?" Jasper asked, looking at her.

"That you're next." She was nearly crying now.

I would not let that happen. We are not going to be put in cages.

"Who else knows about this?"

"Everyone, but nobody talks about it. We learn not to ask questions. Look, without the treatments, we'd die. What are we supposed to do?"

"Die," Monty said.

Harsh. But somewhat true. They can't just torture people like this.

"We have to get out of here," Monty said. "Dante said we could leave, right?"

By this point, they've figured out that Jasper's blood is better. They would never let us leave now.

"He was lying," Jasper scoffed. "He knew I'd be too scared to leave, just like he knew I'd do what had to be done to save Maya."

"So we don't ask," I said. "If Clarke got out, we can, too."

"You'll never make it," Maya said. "Ever since Clarke disappeared, security all around the mountain has been increased."

"Not all around," I said. "I was able to get to the dungeons."

"What?" all three asked, turning to me.

"I stole Emmerson's card and explored. I found these stairs that went a level lower than Dante's office. They were bringing in Grounders. They washed them and wrapped them up, just like those ones," I said, gesturing to the Grounders. "We could escape through there. We just need time and weapons."

"We're not leaving," Jasper said. "I won't leave the others behind. That means they end up in there."

"What choice do we have?" Monty asked.

"We volunteer," I said simply.

We volunteer a couple times. They will be too preoccupied with working with those who volunteered, they won't need to take us yet.

But our volunteering will only get us so far. We do still need to get out of here.

We found the others, convinced Harper and Nate to volunteer as well, and went to medical. We quickly changed and laid in beds. The treatment would be three or four hours and we'd probably sleep the entire time.

Isaac was prepping me.

"It'll be easy," he said with a smile. "You'll just sleep for a little while."

I nodded.

He didn't lie to me. But he didn't tell me the whole truth. I didn't know how to feel about that.

"Ready?" the doctor asked, stopping by my bed.

Isaac sat down on the edge of my bed and held my hand. I glanced over at him before nodding. I hissed when the needle went in and squeezed Isaac's hand. The doctor turned on the machine and I was already feeling the effects. I was high off the drugs.

I had never been high before. Apparently I'm an emotional person when I'm high. It's only weird because I'm not a super emotional person normally; I like to keep things bottled up.

I loopy smile appeared on my face. Isaac laughed.

"You okay?"

"Better than okay," I murmured. My eyes crossed for a second. "I don't even care that there's a needle in my neck." I laughed.

Isaac went to stand up but I quickly grabbed his hand again and pulled.

"Don't leave," I practically yelled.

Isaac slowly sat back down again.

"You can't leave," I said, firmly. "Everyone always leaves. My stupid boyfriend left not once but twice." My eyes almost crossed as I thought about it. "I get him leaving the first time; he wanted revenge. But he just left me the second time. So if I ever see him again, I'm gonna punch him in the face."

Isaac just nodded, unsure of what to say. I don't blame him.

"But see he's not even the first one to leave," I said. "And he's still alive. He could still come back. I could still punch him in the face. Not my dad or my mom or my daughter. My dad left me six years ago. I was raped and he was killed. Does that sound fair to you? He was trying to protect his daughter and he was killed." My eyes were wide as I studied the ceiling. "And my mom and daughter. They were almost here. They were on the ship, coming down. And then they exploded. They left me."

I looked at Isaac now. "The only people really have now are in here. I mean I can just assume everyone's dead out there. You guys haven't found them and they haven't found us. They're either dead or they don't care. Either way they left me."

My eyes started to droop closed suddenly. "Everyone always leaves," I whispered before I passed out.

I woke a couple hours later. Isaac was gone but that didn't matter much. I needed to throw up…now.

I leaned over the side of my bed and hit the trashcan. I puked up my guts and fell back against the bed.

I don't remember anything from when they started to when I passed out. Did I say anything? I probably did. I probably embarrassed myself in front of Isaac.

"You're awake," Monty commented, looking over.

"Sadly," I groaned, holding my stomach. "How long you been awake?"

"Just a couple minutes," he said with a shrug. "The patients just left."

"Hope they feel better than I do," I muttered. I leaned over and threw up more. Apparently I had more in me.

Monty leaned over and dry heaved into his can.

"This is awful," he sighed.

"Yep," I sighed, leaning back. "Just plain awful."

For another couple hours, we stayed in bed. They brought dinner but there was no way I was eating anything. I'd just throw it up again in minutes.

"Will I be seeing you in the library?" Isaac asked.

"Probably not," I sighed, sitting up. "I've been throwing up for hours. The second I'm discharged, I'm going to bed."

"Well then let's go," he said with a smile. "Here are your clothes. I'll be waiting outside."

I smiled and threw back the covers. The only people around were Monty, Harper and Nate. I quickly threw my jeans on under the gown and then faced the wall to take off the gown. I put on my sweater and slipped on my shoes.

"See you back in the dorms," I said with a wave.

"Cory," Nate called.

"I'll be fine," I said, waving him off. I opened the door and Isaac pushed off the wall.

We walked in silence for a few seconds.

"I didn't say anything, did I?" I looked up at him. "I remember feeling really weird but I don't remember what happened."

He shook his head with a little smile. "You stared at the ceiling and fell asleep."

"Good," I sighed with a smile.

We stopped in front of the dorms.

"You are okay, right?" he asked, looking down at me.

No. I shrugged and half smiled. "Not fun but I'm okay."

The truth is, everything hurt. My stomach was still upset, like I could throw up at any moment. But I didn't have anything to throw up so nothing was happening. And my head was killing me. I felt lightheaded still, like I didn't have enough blood in me even though I had all my blood back.

"Well get some rest," he said with a smile. "I'll check on you tomorrow morning."

"Thanks," I said with a smile. I got a kiss on the cheek and then he was gone.

I laid on my bed and waited until the others got here. Jasper was already here.

"How are you feeling?"

"Crappy," I said, looking at the bunk above me. "I feel so weak."

"Sorry."

I looked over at him. "Jasper, I'm fine."

The others came in. Jasper turned up the music and we talked.

"Okay, it's safe to talk," Jasper said. "We bought ourselves some time, but we're gonna need to recruit some of the others, only people we trust."

"How much more time are we talking about buying here, exactly?" Nate asked.

I groaned just thinking about doing it again. I was wrapped in a blanket because I couldn't get warm enough right now. A side-effect of the treatment.

"Long enough for Clarke to break us out," Monty said.

"We don't even know if Clarke's still alive," Harper pointed out.

"She has to be," Jasper said softly.

"Well, then she better hurry the hell up," Nate said.

I realized then that we couldn't just rely on Clarke. We needed to figure something out too. But what? How are we supposed to get 47 people out of a mountain?

I ended up sleeping in my bra and shorts. I was way too hot. A side-effect of the treatment.


	49. Their Plan

The next morning, I showered and got dressed in leggings and a sweatshirt. I needed to be comfortable since I was weak all over. And I'd have to do it again today.

We went to breakfast. I tried to eat something. It was hard. The doctor told me I'd regret it if I didn't. I ate a little.

Then we were back in the gowns and the bed. This time we added two more people, Jeff and Brenda. I didn't know them well but Jasper and Monty trusted them.

"I'm Ally," the girl in the bed next to me said.

"Cory," I said with a smile.

"Thanks," she said. "You know, for giving me your blood."

"No problem," I said with a smile. I paused and the smile fell. "I mean there is the throwing up but-"

"I'm so sorry," she said quickly.

I shook my head. "It's fine. As long as it helps you."

"Are you ready?" the doctor asked.

I nodded. I was ready for the needle this time.

Isaac wasn't there. I haven't seen him this morning. It was only weird because he told me he'd check on me.

I closed my eyes and let the drugs take effect. I was out for four hours.

I woke up, threw up and groaned. Nate was laughing at me.

"What?"

"Nothing."

"Nate."

"I just think it's funny how as soon as everyone wakes up, their face is in the can."

"Not funny," I said, shaking my head. I threw up again. I looked over at him again. "Awful. Completely awful."

We stayed in the hospital a couple more hours. This time lunch was brought in. I still didn't touch it.

I was released and I walked back with the others. Ally had left me a gift.

 _I wanted to stay and give this to you in person but Dr. Tsing made me leave. She told me you guys get hot flashes and chills after this. Hope these help. Thank you so much Cory!_

She gave me a blanket for the chills and an insulated bottle full of ice water for the hot flashes. It was really nice.

I just laid on my bed until dinner. I forced myself to eat a little bit but I had to go slow or I'd threw it all up again.

"Hi Cory," Isaac said when I stood up.

"Hi."

"I'm sorry I didn't come see you earlier. Work has been chaotic."

"What were you doing?"

"Boring doctor stuff."

I nodded, confused. Why didn't he tell me anything? But I had to just shrug it off. He can keep his secrets.

We made it back to the dorms and he kissed my cheek again. I laid down and fell asleep quickly. I was sleeping a lot these days. The treatments were taking a lot out of me.

I drank the water and held the bottle to my forehead. In the middle of the night, I wrapped the blanket around me and curled into a ball. I did not like these hot flashes and chills. They were too unpredictable.

The next morning was pretty much the same. I showered and got dressed, a flowy dress this time. I ate a little breakfast and then went to medical.

I passed out quickly. I was out for four hours. I woke and puked my guts up. I stayed in bed and refused to touch my lunch. Isaac walked me back to the dorms and kissed my cheek. I sat on my bed and talked with the others.

"I'm tired of puking," Harper sighed, holding her stomach.

"I'm tired of being a human pincushion," Nate said, scowling.

"Look, I know this sucks, but as long as it seems like we're cooperating, we're buying ourselves time," Jasper explained.

"Time for what?" Nate asked, looking around at us. "I say if we're gonna die in here, we might as well die trying to escape."

"We've been over this," Jasper sighed. "After Clarke left, there is no escape. We just have to hold on long enough for her to find a way to get us out."

"What if she doesn't find a way?" Monty asked. "What if she didn't make it out? What if that's just a story they're telling us to hide the fact that they killed her? Then no one's coming for us and we're doing exactly what they want us to do." He paused.

I'd thought about it. She could be dead. But it's Clarke. She's too lucky to die. But why hasn't she come for us yet? We could be stuck in here. This could be their plan.

"Jasper. You know you've thought it, too."

"All right, then," Harper said. "We escape."

"No," Jasper said. "We find the truth."

"How do we do that?" I asked.

"We're criminals, right? So, let's be criminals." He smiled and told us his plan.

It could work. Or something could go horribly wrong.

We ate some dinner and headed back to our beds.

We waited until the others had gone to sleep. I sat on my bed.

"What are you thinking about?" Harper asked, sitting next to me.

"What are we gonna find?" I asked, looking at her. "What if we find some plan to lock us up? How are we going to stop that?"

"You're Cory," she said with a smile. "If come to it, you'll figure something out."

I smiled. We listened to music until the lights were turned off.

Around midnight, we snuck out.

Maya was decontaminating the surveillance room. As long as we didn't run into anyone, no one would know we were even out of bed.

We made our way down to Dante's office. We had to hide in a random room once but other than that, we were okay.

Monty got to work on the door with Harper and I while Jasper and Nate kept watch.

"Today, Monty," Jasper said.

"I'm going as fast as I can," Monty said. He was connecting wires and trying to get the door open. I watched him carefully. It was really cool how he could figure this out.

"Relax," Jasper said. He must be talking about Nate. "Maya's decontaminating the surveillance room. No one's watching. We got this. If we can get that door open."

There was a beep and the door opened. We all looked at each other with a smile.

"Ye of little faith," Monty said, looking back at Jasper.

"That's my boy," he said with a smile. We all walked in.

The office was nice and big, full of paintings and other artifacts.

"Harper, watch the hall," Jasper said.

"Why do I have to watch the hall?" she whispered, looking mad.

"Monty's good with computers. Miller's a thief. Cory's Cory."

I smiled at that and kept looking around.

"Why can't you watch the hall?"

"I'm the mastermind," he said with a smirk. "Just go watch the hall."

She sighed and watched the hall. I felt bad. I should be out there too. I don't really have any useful skills in here.

"Guys," Jasper said. I looked over. He was holding a sword. I rolled my eyes.

I snooped around the office, looking for anything really. I looked in a filing cabinet but all I found were records of who people were and where they lived. There wasn't anything important in there.

I closed that and turned to look around the rest of the room. The rest of the room just had paintings and artifacts. Besides the desk, is there anywhere Dante would hide something important?

It didn't matter. The other two had better luck.

"Hey, I got something," Nate said.

"Me too," Monty said. "Damn, I'm good."

I nearly laughed as I hurried over. I stood behind Nate, leaning over to look at the computer first.

"They're alive," I whispered.

On the screen were pictures of a camp. A camp of our people. From the pictures Monty determined it was Alpha Station.

That means David's okay, right? What about Farm Station? Are they okay too? Are they there?

I didn't see any pictures of Tabs or Bryan. But we saw a lot of the same people, mostly the guards. They could just be inside or something. They could still be alive.

"Okay, we've got to go," Jasper said, looking at the time. Maya was only going to be able to be in the room for another ten, maybe fifteen minutes.

Monty shut down the computer. Nate closed the drawers. We kept what he found. It was a map of the place. Monty was going to find a way out.

"Where's Harper?" I asked, looking around.

"She must have gone back," Nate offered. "She probably saw someone."

We snuck back to the dorms and went to sleep. We would figure everything out tomorrow after the treatment.

Harper wasn't there. Maybe she went a different way. Maybe she got stuck somewhere. She'd be back tomorrow morning.

I woke the next morning and got dressed. I wore the first dress I'd worn. I wanted to try to look as innocent as possible.

This morning I woke in a cold sweat. I knew exactly where Harper was.

I went to breakfast as usual and waited for the perfect opportunity. It appeared sooner than I thought.

"Oh," I gasped when I ran into someone. "I'm sorry." I paused. "Hey," I said with a smile when I looked up.

"Hi," Isaac said. He seemed surprised to see me. "What are you doing today?"

"Not having the treatment today," I said, shaking my head. "The doctor said I need a day of rest."

I hated lying. And I hated ditching my friends. But I needed to find Harper and I think I know where to look.

"Well, have fun," he said with a smile. "I'll see you later." He went and got some breakfast.

I nodded with a smile. I grabbed my plate and put it away.

I hurried down the hall to the elevator. I went to level three and carefully snuck to the door. I peeked inside and nearly gasped. People were in there. There were two scientists prepping the chair. They glanced to the right. I leaned a little and saw Harper in a cage.

I looked around for something I could use as a weapon but there wasn't one. That didn't matter. I'd still take them down.

I unlocked the door. I walked in and the scientists instantly looked over at me.

"What is she doing in here?" the first one asked.

"I don't know," the other said. "Get her out."

As the guy closest walked closer, I rolled forward. I was right next to him when I came out of a ball and swept my legs behind his. He fell to the ground and I immediately straddled his chest. I punched him once, twice, three times before I was pulled off of him.

The other one had grabbed me, locking my arms to my side. I struggled but this guy was surprisingly strong.

The other one got up, spit blood and walked over. Big mistake. As soon as he was within reach, I kicked him in the groin. When he bent over, I kicked him in the chest, sending him flying backwards.

Now for the other one.

First, I head-butted him. But no one really wins with a head-butt. So now I had a headache and I was mad.

I used my momentum to lift my legs and swing them towards the ground. I ended up on my stomach and the guy was flipped over me. I straddled his back and wrapped my arms around his neck. I only had to hold for seconds before he passed out.

I jumped off of him and looked at the other one. He was standing up again. Does he give up? He's a scientist, isn't he? He shouldn't be this strong.

We came at each other at the same time. He pulled back to swing a punch so I just ducked under his arm and quickly twisted so that I was looking at him again. I brought my leg up as I twisted so that I caught him in the face as soon as he turned.

Definitely not just a scientist. He took that kick way too well.

I kicked the back of his knee before he could react and he dropped to his knees. I grabbed the back of his head and rammed it into my knee. I took a couple steps back and kicked him in the face again. He was down now.

The door opened and I turned quickly. I prepared for another fight.

"Isaac," I gasped. What was he doing here?

It didn't matter. I was just happy it was him.

"Cory," he breathed. "What is going on?"

He was looking at the bodies. The one was still unconscious. The other was bloody and groaning but not moving much.

"I had to stop them," I said, grabbing for the keys. They were on the bloody one's belt. He tried to reach for me again but I punched him in the throat and he was too preoccupied with trying to breathe to try to stop me.

"Watch those two." I pulled off the keys and hurried over to Harper.

She was smiling now. "Oh God." Suddenly her smile faded and was replaced by a look of dread. "Cory!"

I was hit from behind and I fell to the ground.


	50. Somehow

When I woke, I was in one of the cages. I was in an awkward position so I shifted around until I could at least feel my feet.

The cage was locked from the outside. I reached through the bars and pulled. It was a strong lock.

I reached up and felt around. But my screws were gone, my clips were gone.

I was trapped in a cage.

"No," I yelled, banging on the cage. "No!"

"What's gonna happened to us?" Harper asked. She was in the cage below me.

"They're gonna bleed us?" I whispered to myself, confused. We were doing what they wanted. We were giving them blood. If they waited another day, I could have convinced more people too.

"Why did they take us?"

"You were right there," I said with a shrug. I clenched my teeth. "And I trusted him," I hissed. "I trusted him," I repeated in a yell, banging on the cage again. "God, I'm gonna kill him," I breathed.

I shouldn't have trusted him. If I had just knocked him unconscious or at least watched him, I wouldn't be in this cage. Harper and I would be free. And we'd be fighting our way out of here.

For an hour or two, we just sat there. I tried to find a loose area but the cage was pretty strong.

I was going to get out of here. Somehow. I would not die in a cage.

"Oh," someone said.

I looked up to see the doctor standing in the doorway with Isaac behind her. They were both smiling.

"She's perfect," she said with a nod, stopping in front of my cage. "Nice and strong." She looked down at Harper. "Good, good."

"Let us out," I said, rattling the cage.

"We have a few things to set up first," the doctor said. "You so rudely interrupted the last set up."

She walked in and started messing with stuff by a chair near the corner. I hadn't paid it much attention until now. I don't think they were gonna bleed us, at least not in the typical way. So what were they going to do?

I glared at Isaac. "I'm going to kill you," I hissed. I rattled the cage.

"Oh I'm so scared," he said, rolling his eyes.

I just rattled the cage and glared. "Just you wait."

"Oh sweetheart," he said with a smirk, stepping closer. "You're stuck in a cage and in five minutes, you'll be stuck on that table."

"You're just lucky you took my screws," I said. "Otherwise you'd already be bleeding out on the ground."

"Big talk," he said with a laugh.

Another person walked in. He looked to be the muscle of the group. He was probably the one in charge of getting me out of the cage and onto the table.

"Get her out and put her in the chair," she said. "We'll start with the right hip."

The man moved towards the cage. I was right.

I prepared myself to kick out when he opened the cage.

I wasn't prepared for him to pull out a baton. He pushed it through the cage and touched my leg. It was a shock baton, like the ones from the Ark. Honestly, it probably was from the Ark.

"Cory," Harper yelled.

I tried to move but I couldn't force my body to move.

He unlocked the cage and I slowly pushed myself up. But I was shocked again.

I was completely limp as he pulled me out. Isaac came over and grabbed my feet. They practically threw me in the chair. It was reclined all the way flat and had a place for my head. They strapped me down and left me there for a while.

I squirmed, trying to get free. Obviously, that wasn't going to work.

I heard the door open. Someone walked over.

"Please," I whispered, a tear falling from my eye.

What was wrong with these people? Ask nicely and I'll donate. Lock me in a cage, forcibly extract it, and I'll kill you. As soon as I get out of here, I'm killing all four of them and anyone who tries to get in my way.

"Don't worry," the doctor said. "This won't hurt. The hip has the largest marrow pocket. We'll begin the aspiration there-"

"I don't need to know the details," the person who walked in said. "Just do it."

"Your father will come around, Cage."

"What if he doesn't?" Cage asked.

Then you idiots are going to be dead. Dante will do something and if he doesn't, I will.

"Please," I whispered again. "I just want to go home."

"I know," he said, kneeling in front of me. "So do we."

"I don't care you sick-"

A drill turned on behind me. My eyes widened and I stopped breathing. Pain shot through the back of my right hip. The pain was more or less manageable but knowing I was being drilled into, that was the really scary part.

I couldn't hold back the screams.

The extraction must have taken at least an hour. And it hurt.

She then moved onto the other hip and did the same.

She left me there for a little while. She talked with Cage and Isaac. Apparently this was going to be for guards first. Obviously Cage gets it as soon as it's been tested but he was not going to be a guinea pig.

The doctor left saying that she'd come back for Harper after lunch. Isaac and the guard unstrapped me and lifted me from the table.

That's when I leapt into action.

They had both grabbed an arm and were just going to drag me over to the cage. I head-butted Isaac, again hurt but had to be done. He let go and backed away. I punched the other guy in the throat once, knocking the breath from him. He fell back against the opposite cages and clutched his throat as he tried to breathe.

Isaac was up surprisingly fast. I ducked and grabbed the light. It was on a stand so that the doctor could move it to where she needed it. Well, I needed it to hit him in the face. And that's what happened.

He fell backwards, crashing into the cages behind him, nearly falling on the guard who was just starting to stand up.

I turned away from him, ready to grab something else to help me.

I was hit in the cheek with something hard. I don't know what it was but my head whipped to the side and I fell to the floor. I was still able to lash out, kicking at Cage's legs. He went down and I was scrambling up.

I turned because Cage was down for at least a few seconds. I had to assess the others.

Isaac was slowly getting up. He had blood streaming from his nose. I nearly smiled at that.

The guard was coming over to me with the shock baton out. I had to act quickly.

I started walking backwards, toward the back corner. I just needed to get away from them all for a second. I needed to think about how to get out of this. It was three on one, actually more like two and a half on one since Isaac didn't really count.

And then I saw it. The broomstick. This was going to be fun.

I grabbed that, broke off the bottom and twirled it. I looked at them with a smirk. Cage was closest to me. He looked mad. The guard had his baton out, ready to shock me as soon as I got within reach. Isaac just looked funny with all the blood coming from his nose.

I started by swinging the stick at the guard. I hit his side and knocked him to the side just a little bit. I spun and suddenly Cage was behind me. I pushed the stick back and hit him in the…somewhere. I didn't have time to look. The guard was still coming at me.

I spun the stick and slammed it onto his wrist. The baton fell from his hand and I spun again closer. I hit Cage as I spun and then slammed the end into the guard's stomach. I elbowed him in the face and pushed him away.

Cage was not giving up. He continued closer.

I shouldn't have underestimated Isaac. I was knocked unconscious. Great.

I woke hours later. It was dark in here. Everyone was gone.

I looked down to see Harper curled in a ball.

"Harper?" I whispered.

She slowly looked up at me. Her face and eyes were red. She'd been crying a lot.

"Are you okay?"

She shook her head. She sniffled.

"You?"

I sighed. I ached all over, mostly in the back of my hips and my head. Whatever Cage hit me with, it left a cut on my cheekbone. It wasn't bleeding anymore but I could tell it had been. I tried to find a comfortable position but really couldn't for two reasons. One, I had bone marrow taken and then I was in a fight. And two, I was in a cage.

I licked my lips. What could I even tell her to make her feel better? The only way to feel better would be if I could get her out of here. I'd already tried twice and failed both times.

"Why did you like Murphy?" she asked softly.

I breathed out a laugh, shaking my head. She was trying to distract us both from the pain. It sort of worked.

"He wasn't a jerk when he was with me. He was actually really nice. He was always so concerned whenever I put myself in any danger, like simply hunting. And he didn't care that I had a daughter or that our relationship wasn't going to be about sex. He just wanted to be with me."

I missed him. It's sad but I almost wish he was here with me. I don't think he'd just sit around. He'd get us out of here. Or he'd annoy them until they let him go. Either way is fine by me.

"We're thinking of the same guy, right?" She even laughed a little.

I laughed, wincing when it caused pain to shoot through my head and my back. "Yeah. He was just so different with me." I paused, my smile fading. "He said I made him want to be good."

"Did you meet him on the ground?"

"Before I was locked up, I remember I'd see him around and my best friend would always make fun of me for having such an awful crush on him. I had decided just an hour before I was locked up that I was gonna talk to him the next day. I wish I had."

And now I missed Tabs. Now I almost wish she was here. She'd talk her way out of this. Man could she talk.

"At least part of the reason he left was because of you," she said softly after a minute. "Bellamy wouldn't let anyone go out to look, saying it was dangerous. I mean it was. Murphy practically screamed at him, told him he was gonna find you himself."

I smiled at that. But he still left so the smile faded quickly.

"We'll get out of here, right?" she asked after a few minutes.

"Yeah," I said with a nod. "I am not going to die in here."

I was going to get out of here. Somehow.

When they came back, I would have to plan this. I would have to think it through before I acted. They would be ready for me now. I had to be creative.

I was going to get out of here. Somehow.


	51. Sleeping In A Cage

We were both asleep until early in the morning. I couldn't actually tell what time it was but I knew it had to be at least 12 hours after Harper's extraction. It was most likely morning sometime.

I probably had a couple hours until they would come for me.

Sleeping in the cage somehow made me even more sore. My hips hurt every time I shifted. My back was sore from being curled up like this. My head was hurting more than yesterday. I'd been hit a couple times.

Nate knew I was missing by now. Even if Isaac told some lie to him, he wouldn't just trust him. I don't know if he ever really liked Isaac. He was right about that.

Monty was reading the map. He was finding a way out as we speak. And he was finding us.

But I doubt this room would be on a map. Or if it was, it wouldn't say: _Harper and Cory are here_. They wouldn't know even if they saw the door. It looks like any other door.

Somehow they will find us.

And Clarke is out there making a plan right now. She's got an army coming in. If not an army, she's got someone. Maybe Bellamy or Finn or Octavia are still alive out there. She's got Raven, if she survived.

Someone is going to come for us.

I don't know where they were going to take from next but I had to plan for a couple different places. If they strap me down again, I wouldn't be able to stop them before they take the bone marrow. But if they don't shock me, I could try before I'm strapped down. Or after if they aren't careful. But they'll probably be ready for me to fight back. They would be way more careful. I'd have to wait until more left. If it was just me against one or two, I could probably take them. I say probably because I am incredibly sore and would be even more after the next extraction.

I thought of a hundred different ways. And I would try every last one. I would not give up.

"Good morning," Isaac said, walking into the room with a smile. His nose was bruised.

How did I not see this earlier? He was so sweet with me and then now he's this…this jerk. I don't know if I've ever wanted to kill someone this badly. And that's saying something since we've been at war with the Grounders.

"Get the chair prepped," the doctor said. "We'll do the legs today. It'll take a couple hours."

I swallowed. A couple hours?

The chair was prepared quickly. There wasn't much to do.

Then the guard came to stand in front of my cage again.

"Please," I whispered.

But he still reached the baton through and shocked me. I crumpled and he easily pulled me out. I was thrown on the chair on my stomach. I was strapped down quickly.

There goes like half of my plans. I needed to have acted before I got strapped down. Now I couldn't do anything until I was unstrapped.

I felt an extra strap around my knees. They really didn't want me moving.

"We'll work on the right leg first," Dr. Tsing said. She was probably talking to Isaac. "We'll draw from five different spots on each leg."

She cut my leg. She didn't even bother with the anesthesia this time. She just went for it.

It didn't hurt as much as my back had. Don't get me wrong, it still hurt. It just didn't make me want to scream as much. I bit my lip and was able to hold back the screams this time.

I felt the sharp pinch as the bone marrow was extracted. It only took about ten minutes for that part of my leg.

"Please stop," I whispered. "Please."

But they didn't. They wouldn't stop.

As they went on, they became more and more painful. By the third spot, I was screaming again.

They moved to the next leg. The first one was more or less okay. After that I was already so weak that I couldn't stop the screaming.

The whole process took at least three hours.

And by the end, I couldn't even move.

I was lifted and thrown into the cage. There was nothing I could do to fight it.

They left, saying they'd come back in an hour for Harper.

"What was your favorite part about Earth?" Harper whispered after a minute or two. She looked up at me as I looked down at her.

"Paradise," I whispered with a little smile. "It was this waterfall not far from camp. Murphy and I found it while we were hunting. It's where I went to shower, to hunt, to relax. It was just…perfect."

"That sounds nice," she whispered. I saw her smile a little.

"What about you?"

"I don't know." She closed her eyes. "The freedom."

"We will get that back," I said. "I promise. We are strong."

We were silent again.

They came back as promised. I tried to block out Harper's screams but I couldn't. And I couldn't do anything. I just laid there, trying not to think about what was happening to her.

They had to stop early because she passed out. At least they didn't keep going. They put her back in the cage and left, promising to be back tomorrow to do our shoulders.

I closed my eyes and tried to get as comfortable as possible. Nothing really worked. My legs had to be folded but they hurt to fold. My head was pounding for a couple of reasons now: dehydration, being knocked unconscious a couple times, crying too often.

I fell asleep and dreamt of a better life.

When I opened my eyes, I was in paradise. I was sitting on the rocks with my feet in the water.

I looked around me. The girls were on the rocks next to me. Tabs and Harper and Raven and Octavia and Clarke. Peyton was standing in the water right in front of me, splashing around. The guys were playing football in the water. Murphy and Bellamy and Finn and Lincoln and Jasper and Monty and Nate and Bryan.

I realized that everyone was laughing and having a good time. This is what Earth is supposed to be like.

"Mama," Peyton practically yelled.

She had built a sandcastle on one of the rocks.

The girls around me were all cooing and smiling.

"So how's Murphy?" Tabs asked, nudging me with her shoulder.

"He's very good," I said with a smirk. "How about Jasper?"

"Amazing," she said with a look.

We both laughed.

"Monty's made more moonshine," Harper said, leaning around Tabs with a smile.

"So we'll have a lot of fun tonight," Raven said with a smirk.

We all laughed.

The game must have finished because all of the guys were walking over to us. Nate threw Peyton over his shoulder. She was squealing as Nate and Bryan walked away with her. The other guys stopped in front of us.

"Come on," Murphy said, grabbing my hand. He pulled me up and gave me a kiss.

I was pulled farther into the water until I could barely touch. I wrapped my legs around his waist. He could still touch but I could only just keep my head above the water. I leaned up and kissed him again.

Life couldn't get any better.

All of my friends were here. Peyton was okay. Mom was off somewhere but perfectly fine wherever she was. Everyone was smiling and laughing. No one was trying to kill us. We were war-free.

"I love you," I whispered, looking into Murphy's blue eyes.

"I love you too," he said with a smile.

I leaned forward and rested my head on his shoulder.

Jasper and Tabs were laughing and splashing each other. Monty and Harper were lying on the rocks. Peyton was squealing as Nate and Bryan tossed her in the air. Finn and Clarke were floating near the rocks. Raven and Bellamy were watching everyone from those rocks.

Everything was perfect.

Until the sky got dark. I lifted my head, confused. I blinked and I was somewhere else.

I was back in the bunker. One by one, they were dropping. All of those from the happy dream were now in my nightmare. They were dying. Mom too and David and Dad.

I blinked and I was holding the gun. They were all dead because of me.

"No," I cried. "No, no, no."

"You killed me."

They were all standing up now.

"You killed us," Peyton said.

"No," I breathed. "No, no, no. I just wanted to help."

"There's only one way you can help," Mom said, stepping up next to Peyton.

"Put that gun to your own head," Tabs said.

"No," I breathed, shaking my head. She didn't want that.

"The only way," they all said. "The only way. The only way."

Tears were streaming down my face as I held the gun to my head.

"I'm sorry," I whispered.

I screamed when I pulled the trigger.

I jerked awake. I lay there panting for a few minutes. And then I just cried for a few minutes.

I was so hungry, so thirsty, so tired, so sore. I just wanted to go home.

But did I even have a home anymore? I don't even know if Murphy or Bellamy or Clarke are alive. Nate and Jasper and Monty and Harper are stuck in a mountain. Peyton and Mom are dead. I don't know if Tabs or David survived the crash. Where would I go? Where would we ever be safe?

I was so tired that I just fell asleep again minutes later.

This time when I opened my eyes, I was in a bed. An arm was wrapped around my waist and another was under my head.

The person behind me sighed and tightened his grip on my waist.

I slowly turned and looked up at him. He was looking down at me with a small, sleepy smile. I slowly reached up and brushed his long, straight, brown hair from his blue eyes.

"Morning babe," he said softly.

I smiled and leaned in, kissing his neck a few times. "Good morning, Murphy," I whispered against his neck.

I felt his chest rumble with laughter. He wrapped his arms around me and pulled me on top of him. I gasped in surprise.

I smiled and leaned back to look at his face again. I ran my fingers along his jawline, tracing the long scar there. I slowly brought my hands back up his face and through his straight, near-black hair. He had cut it recently so it was only a few inches long now. His green eyes looked right into mine as he pulled me closer.

"Jace," I breathed before he kissed me.

"I love you," he whispered when he pulled back.

I kissed his neck again and pulled away.

"I love you too," I whispered. "Bellamy."

I ran my hands through his curly hair and gave him one more kiss. I sat up and put my hands on his chest, looking down at him.

"Time to get up," I said with a smile.

"Do we have to?" he complained. He grabbed my waist and pulled me back down again. He hugged me close.

And then I woke up.

I was alone in the cage. I could still feel his arms around me.

Again I cried. This time, I just laid there. Sleeping wasn't working. I would always wake and feel awful again.

So for hours, I laid there.


	52. Not Too Late

They came in a couple hours after I woke.

I'd just been staring at the wall, thinking.

I wish that first dream could come true. It couldn't though. We were already missing as many as ten people from the dream. That couldn't come true. But I could still pretend it was real.

I pushed the second dream out of my head. I didn't even want to think about it. It wasn't real. I'd already been through this before. I know I didn't kill them. I didn't.

The last dream is the one I thought of most. What did that mean? Was I really torn between the three? I hadn't even thought of Jace like that. Murphy was gone so it's not going to work with him. Bellamy is who knows where. He might be dead.

But that didn't mean I couldn't dream.

So for hours, I thought about what it would be like with each of them.

It was so perfect. And so not real.

I was still in the mountain. I was still in a cage. I was still going to have bone marrow extracted soon. I was still trapped.

"Prep her right shoulder," Isaac said. "Lay her on her stomach and strap her down."

The guard was quick to shock me. I wasn't going to fight back. I could barely even move.

I was lifted out and practically thrown on the chair. Apparently they were going to be working on my shoulder blades.

"Good morning," Dr. Tsing said, walking in. I could hear her near my head.

She moved the gown off my shoulder. I felt her cut into my skin.

"Why?" I whispered, tears falling from my eyes. I watched as the tear drops hit the ground.

"This is the only way," the doctor said. I heard the drill being picked up.

"It's not," I whispered, looking at the floor. "We could donate."

"The donations would kill you anyways," she said.

So I was going to die. I thought about it and figured that was probably where this was going. But she confirmed it. I'm going to die.

"What about the others?" I breathed. "The entire Ark came down. I saw the pictures. They are out there."

"They're not an option," she said, starting the drill.

I couldn't think anymore. All I could do was try not to scream and cry. And after a minute, I couldn't even do that.

It took almost two hours.

This was now the third day. They needed to get us water or we'd die. They didn't want that.

They wanted us to live long enough to extract as much as possible. They were going relatively slow so that we wouldn't die. They wanted our bone marrow to regenerate so that they could continue to use us. But we were going to die no matter what. They just needed us alive long enough.

They flipped me over as I cried more. While I laid on the chair, the doctor put an IV in my arm. I tried to squirm away but they held my arm down. I was too weak to do much anyway. I was dehydrated and tortured. Soon I'd only be tortured.

That would be a time to try to fight back again.

For another half an hour, I laid on the table. I was still crying. It hurt so much and I felt so helpless.

"Oh stop it," Isaac sighed, looking down at me. "It's not that bad."

"You wanna try?" I asked. I hated that my voice broke.

He just smirked and walked away. The guard came into view and held my arm. Half an hour later, I was unstrapped and lifted up. They shoved me in the cage and closed it.

The needle was still in my arm. I almost smiled.

But then Isaac paused and reached in. He ripped the needle out and smirked at me.

"Did you think we were that stupid?"

I quickly, with all my remaining strength, reached through and wrapped the front of his t-shirt in my hand. I pulled him against the cage quickly. He hit his face on the bars. His nose started to bleed again.

He fell to the ground. He was groaning and covering his face.

"Oh stop it," I spit. "It's not that bad."

The guard helped Isaac up and they left the room.

I collapsed to the bottom of my cage. Everything hurt.

My back, my legs, my shoulders, my head, my arm. The list goes on and on.

"I never told anyone," I said suddenly. I glanced down and saw Harper was looking at me. "I met a Grounder. He saved my life, at least three times."

"Why do you…get…all the guys?" she asked. She let out a breathy laugh, wincing a little.

I breathed out a laugh. It hurt but for a second, it made me forget.

"I get all the jerks or the ones that might be dead."

Murphy left me. Isaac locked me up. Bellamy is probably dead. Jace too.

"Bellamy's out there," she whispered. "I believe it. And the Grounder…"

"Jace."

"He's out there too. They've probably teamed up to look for you."

"To look for us," I corrected her.

"No one's looking for me."

I shifted so I could see her better. It took a while, hurt a lot, and depleted me of the last of my energy.

"Nate is," I said. "And Jasper and Monty. They won't stop until we're found."

"What if they're too late?"

I didn't know what to say.

"They won't be," I whispered back.

We were silent.

An hour later, they were coming back into the room. It was Harper's turn.

And I couldn't even lift my head.

I heard her crying. I saw her struggling as she was pulled from the cage. I heard the drill. I heard her screams.

And I couldn't even lift my head.

They put her back and we just laid in silence. We were too weak to do anything else.

A tear slipped from my eye but I was asleep again within minutes of them leaving.

I jumped when the door opened.

I hadn't slept that long. They'd only left a couple hours ago. We still had a couple more hours until the next extraction.

"No," I breathed, shooting up and pushing back. My shoulders were on fire. Scratch that, my whole body was on fire. "We still have time."

My jaw dropped and my eyes watered when I saw Monty being dragged in. I quickly pushed to the front of the cage and rattled it, ignoring all of my pain.

"Monty," I practically yelled. "No."

Harper was still too weak from the last extraction. She only turned her head.

"No, no, no," I cried. "Just let them go. I can give more. Please."

That was a lie. I really couldn't give anymore. But I'd rather them torture me than my friends.

"Sorry sweetheart," Isaac said with a look of concern. I knew it was fake. "This isn't a one-man job."

I rattled the cage, groaning when it hurt my shoulders. "No!"

They stripped Monty of his clothes and dressed him in one of the awful yellow gowns. They shoved him in the cage and turned to leave.

"Sleep tight," Isaac said. He had a little smirk. It didn't look the same anymore. His nose was bruised and swollen. I actually wondered about the lie he was telling people. How did he explain the nose?

They left and I laid down again.

I closed my eyes but it was only a second later that I was opening them again. The door was opening.

I looked over and almost stopped breathing. My eyes widened and my jaw dropped.

"Bellamy?" I breathed.

"Cory," he gasped. He ran over and started unlocking the cage. He tossed the keys to Nate, who started working on getting Harper out, and reached in. He hooked an arm under my knees and another behind my back. He carefully pulled me out.

I didn't care how much it hurt, I wrapped my arms around his neck. I pulled myself closer.

"You're okay," he whispered. He pulled back. "But we've got to fight our way out. Are you strong enough?"

I nodded.

We left the room and found a vent not far away from the door. Bellamy said the air ducts would be the way out.

Nate led the way. Harper, Monty and Jasper were next.

"Your turn," Bellamy said, turning to me.

I was just about to crawl into the vent when I heard footsteps running down the hall.

"Stop right there," a voice yelled. I glanced back to see four guards running down the hall. There was no way we would both be able to get into the vent before they shot us.

I kept my back to them but held up my hands.

I glanced over at Bellamy. I gave him a small smile. That let him know that I had a plan and that he should just go with whatever happens.

The first one grabbed my shoulder, ready to turn me around. I grabbed that arm and twisted. I pushed it down and kicked my leg over his shoulder. I rolled, pulling him with me. He was on his back, I was on my knees. I twisted his arm and punched him in the face, just enough to leave him dazed.

I then dove and rolled to the next closest one. I swept my leg behind his and he fell. I straddled him and punched him once before the last two pulled me off of him.

I struggled but seconds later they both let go. Bellamy had shot them both in the heads. The other two weren't far after.

I heard more footsteps off in the distance. They were coming but if we were fast, we'd be okay.

"Let's go," I said quickly. I climbed in and started climbing. Bellamy was right behind me.

"Right," he whispered. I turned right.

"Left," he whispered a little later. I turned left.

We made it to a drop off.

"Trust me," he said when I glanced back at him. I smiled and nodded.

I slid to the bottom. I landed in a cave.

"Cory," Nate called. He hugged me tight with a smile. Harper was next, then Monty, then Jasper.

"We've got to keep going," Bellamy said.

"What about everyone else?" I asked, glancing back at the vent.

"Already got them out," Bellamy said with a little smirk.

"Then let's go," I said with a smile.

We headed down the tunnel. Five minutes later and we were outside. The air was fresh and the sun was bright. It was perfect.

I turned back to the others with a smile.

"We're safe," I breathed. I couldn't help the little laugh.

I took two steps over and wrapped my arms around Bellamy. "Thank you," I whispered.

"Cory-"

I pulled back. "I mean it. Thank you for saving me."

He smiled.

And then I blinked.

I was suddenly back in the cage. I was lying on my back, my entire body still aching. The door was opening.

"No," I breathed. I began to cry.

It was all a dream? Bellamy didn't save me? Is he even alive? If so, is he looking for me? What about Nate and Jasper? They wouldn't just give up. Would they?

"Ready?" Isaac asked. I saw that he was smiling.

I swallowed.


	53. Two Days Left

Isaac grabbed my legs and pulled me out. The guard grabbed me under the arms.

Neither of them shocked me. They thought they could take me.

No. I will fight back.

I screamed as I pulled my legs to my chest. It sent pain through my hips mostly.

The two knocked heads. Isaac quickly dropped me in surprise and I used that time to kick out at him. He fell backwards against the cages.

Now the guard wrapped his arms around me tighter, determined not to let me go.

I reached up quickly and grabbed behind his neck. With all my strength, I lifted my legs and swung them down again. He flew over my head and landed at Isaac's feet, knocking him over.

Tears were streaming down my face as I stood as quickly as I could. Pain was all throughout my body but I pushed on anyway.

I could hear Harper and Monty yelling at me. Harper was telling me to run.

Maybe I should. I can always come back.

So while they were down, I ran.

I pushed through the door and kept on running. I was at the elevator. I could make it. I could find the others, find a weapon, and get Harper and Monty out.

But I was never that lucky.

The doors opened and Cage stepped out alongside Dr. Tsing. They both looked surprised but Cage acted quickly.

I was thrown over his shoulder before I could even move.

"No," I yelled, pounding on his back. "No. No. Let me go."

They hurried down the hallway. I was back in the dreadful room before I knew it.

"Cory?" Harper sounded so small.

"What the hell happened?" Cage asked, throwing me on the chair. I was quickly strapped down.

"She's stronger than she looks," the guard said. I think that was the first time I'd heard him speak. "It won't happen again."

"It better not," Cage snapped.

He looked down at me. He looked really mad.

"She'll be dead soon," Dr. Tsing said, picking up the drill. "She won't survive the chest bone."

"When?" Cage asked, glancing up at her.

"Two days," the doctor said.

I fought against the restraints.

"Two days," Cage repeated, looking down at me again.

I just screamed and fought again.

I gasped when my head snapped to the side. Cage had backhanded me.

I was panting as I looked back at him. Dr. Tsing rolled her eyes.

"I need to start now," she said. "There's three of them. It'll take longer."

Cage nodded and stepped back. He and the guard started whispering to each other. Isaac was just standing off to the side.

"No," I whispered. Tears were falling from my eyes as the drill started up. "Please."

I screamed when the drill went into my arm. They drilled and extracted my bone marrow for an hour. They went all up and down my arms, taking from six different spots.

I was then thrown back into the cage. It was Harper's turn. That was the first time that they'd done the procedures this close together.

I laid on the bottom of the cage, facing the wall. I was weak again.

How was I going to get out of here?

At this point, I think I just have to pray for someone to save me. I've tried escaping how many times? It's never worked.

When Harper was done, they put her back in the cage and left.

"Are they looking for us?" I asked softly.

"Nate hasn't stopped. Jasper even had Maya looking into it."

"Then they'll find us," I whispered with a nod. "We'll get out of here."

"How?" Harper choked out. She was crying again.

"We'll fight," I whispered. "And someone's out there looking for us. They'll help."

"What if no one's out there?"

"Someone is out there," I said.

That was the end of the conversation. We all laid in silence.

Monty tried to get out for a few minutes. But he realized pretty quickly that wasn't going to happen.

They came in for Monty. I tried to block out his screams.

"We'll come back early tomorrow," Dr. Tsing said. "The ribs will take time."

"We can come just after breakfast," the guard suggested.

"9 a.m.," the doctor said.

Monty was thrown in the cage. They'd taken from his hips. That was the first place to start I guess.

"See you tomorrow," Isaac said. He hit my cage as he walked passed.

I squeezed my eyes shut and held my breath. I didn't want to show him he'd gotten to me.

The door opened and closed.

"Cory?" Harper whispered.

"Yeah?"

"What'd you do to get locked up? The truth."

I sighed and glanced down at her. She was curled in a ball, looking at the wall. Monty was sitting with his legs curled to his chest, facing Harper. He was looking up at me though.

I swallowed. I licked my lips. I took a deep breath.

"I was raped," I whispered. "My father found me and we both fought back. He was floated and I was locked up."

"What happened to…him?" Harper asked after a minute.

I swallowed again. "Nothing. He was still alive last I heard."

"Why?" Monty gasped.

"His father was Head Guard at the time," I said. "They kept me in solitary and told everyone…I assaulted a guard."

"Cory," Harper breathed. She turned to look at me.

"It's okay," I said with a little smile. "I got Peyton and…I got to keep her for a while."

We were silent for a few seconds.

"What about you, Harper?" I asked. I already knew Monty was caught stealing with Jasper.

"I was caught…stealing," she whispered with a little laugh. "I just…I wanted something nice for once."

I laughed and bit my lip, shaking my head. "I used to think about going to Earth. I never imagined any of this."

"Who could've?" Monty asked bitterly.

Again, we were silent. I fell asleep.

I blinked and I was now in the chair again. It was sitting upright but I was still strapped down. I looked up.

My friends and family stood in front of me. Bellamy was there, Murphy, Clarke, Harper, Monty, Jasper, Peyton, Mom. They were all there.

"Two days," Bellamy said. I gasped when I saw he was holding the drill.

"Two days," Murphy said, holding up his own drill.

"Two days," echoed around the room as more and more people held up drills.

"No," I breathed. Tears were falling from my eyes again.

"Two days," Peyton said last. She held up her own drill and walked forward. "And then you go to Hell."

"No," I cried.

And then they were all stepping forward. The drills were piercing my skin everywhere. I screamed and cried but they continued.

All at once they stopped and stepped back. I was a mess. I hurt all over. But my heart hurt more. How could they do this to me? More important was the question of if I really deserved it.

The chair turned and I was faced with…Hell. The ground was split open, a big black hole in the middle of the room. And all 23 Grounders were trying to climb out. They were trying to get me.

I screamed when I felt the first hand wrap around my ankle. But the binds would hold me to the chair, right? Wrong. They were gone.

I was being dragged into Hell.

"No," I yelled. "No. Bellamy," I yelled, seeing him. Tears were streaming down my face. I could barely see anymore.

I tried to grab something but there was nothing there. I was going to Hell.

I finally was able to grab onto the edge of the hole. It was hard but I could hold on. I could make it.

Maybe.

I gasped when a face appeared above me. It was Bellamy.

"You left me," he hissed. "You left all of us."

More faces appeared. Murphy, Finn, Monroe, Sterling, Jones, Tracy, Megan, and more. Everyone who was in the battle but not in the dropship. I left them to die.

"Why Mommy?" Peyton asked, standing next to Bellamy.

"Please," I whispered.

"Bye Mommy," she said, waving.

Bellamy pushed my hands away.

And I fell into Hell.

I woke with a start, jerking up with a scream. I sat there, panting for a few minutes.

"Cory?" Monty asked softly.

"I'm fine," I said, shaking my head.

"You were crying in your sleep," he said.

I nodded. "Yeah."

"Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," I said with a nod. "I'm fine."

I laid back down, facing the wall again. I closed my eyes and fell asleep.

"Baby," a voice said.

I sat up straight. The cage next to me had my dad in it.

"Daddy?" I breathed.

"Hi Baby," he said with a smile.

"What are you doing here?" I asked. Tears were welling in my eyes.

"Waiting," he said simply. "Just like you."

"Waiting for what?"

"For death," he said.

"What?" I breathed. My eyes widened and I automatically leaned back a little.

"Two days," he said. He was just starring out of the cage, looking at the empty cages across from him. "Have you made your peace?"

"Daddy, I can't."

"You must," he said, turning to look at me. "You must," he repeated.

"How can I when I've killed 23 people? How can I when I've thought about killing so many more? How can I when I'm going to Hell?"

"You must," he repeated. "Two days."

"No," I said, shaking my head. I put my hands on the bars of the cage. "Someone will come for me."

"Who?"

I paused and swallowed. "Someone."

"Baby," he started. He put his hand on top of mine. "You did what you had to do to survive. To save as many people as you could."

"But I couldn't save them," I cried. "I tried so hard but I couldn't save them."

"47," he said. "You know 47 people are still alive. You did the best you could."

"I could have done more," I said, shaking my head. "I could have…I could have stopped Murphy from using the gunpowder. I could have stopped the scouts. I could have killed more before they got in. I could have dragged more kids into the dropship. I could have saved more."

"You did the best you could," he repeated.

A tear slipped from my eyes. "Two days."

"Two days," he repeated. "You're gonna be okay, Baby. I'll see you soon."

"I love you Daddy," I whispered.

"I-"

I jumped when the door opened.

"Prep quickly," the doctor said. "We'll be in here all day."

I heard things being moved around. My cage door opened and I was pulled out.

I didn't fight them. I couldn't really. I just let them throw me on the table and strap me down.

They lifted the gown and the doctor wasted no time in cutting me.

24 ribs. This would take a while.

I screamed and cried. For four hours, I screamed and cried.

The doctor did all but the last two ribs. Isaac did those. If it was even possible, he was worse.

While he drilled into me, the doctor ate a sandwich. Until now, I hadn't even realized I was hungry. I had been so focused on the pain that hunger hadn't even crossed my mind. Now I was hungry, dehydrated and in pain.

The guard lifted me up and the second I was upright, I passed out.


	54. It's Real

It was hours later that I woke.

I slowly blinked my eyes, trying to see straight. My head was killing me. My entire torso was on fire. My body was weak. I could barely lift my head.

I saw that Harper was below me, passed out. I could hear cries. Monty must be in the chair now.

I tried to block out the crying.

I starred at the wall.

I had less than a day to live. I had less than a day to get out.

But I couldn't think of a single idea, at least not one that would actually work.

Another hour passed before Monty was put back in his cage.

The three of us were silent. Harper and I would die tomorrow. Monty only had a few days after that. Who would be taken next? How long until we're all dead?

The shaking started when I woke up. I couldn't get my body to stop shaking. I wasn't cold. I was weak and scared.

I fell asleep quickly.

Nightmare after nightmare kept waking me up.

Paradise that turns to Hell, extraction that turns to Hell, Hell that turns to a worse Hell.

Over and over again, the big black hole opened up and I was pulled in. Over and over again, people told me I deserved to die. Over and over again, they smiled as I fell. Over and over again, I cried.

I wanted it to end. The worst thing about dying was knowing you were going to die.

There were times on Earth that I nearly accepted the fact that I was going to die. Nearly. There was the time I was strung up, there was the poison, there was the kidnapping, there was the war. All of those times, I almost accepted it. But I pushed through and survived.

I didn't think I could do that anymore. There was no way out. Unless someone saved me, I was dying.

And that was the scary part. I could no longer do anything myself. I had to rely on someone else to save me or I'd die.

"Prep her quickly," the doctor said when she walked in.

A tear slipped from my eye. Here it was. It was time.

The guard easily pulled me out. I had yet to stop shaking. He strapped me down and pulled my gown to the side. They were going to do my chest bone now.

I was going to be dead in maybe half an hour.

"Please stop," Monty cried. "She's too weak."

The doctor cut into my chest.

"No more," I whispered. I couldn't stop shaking. I could barely breathe anymore. "Please."

I just wanted it to be over.

After this it would be.

"No," Monty yelled, shaking his cage as the doctor continued anyways. "No."

I glanced over and saw he looked close to tears. Harper was lying down but she was facing me this time.

There was nothing I could do anymore.

"I love you guys," I said, looking at them. I smiled softly before I looked at the ceiling.

I was ready to die.

The doctor was just about to start drilling when Jasper and the President walked in.

"Put that down," he instructed.

I let out a breathy laugh. I was being rescued.

For real?

"Get away from that girl."

The doctor stepped back. Someone came in and helped me up.

I sucked in a breath as pain shot through…well, everywhere.

"Jasper," Monty yelled.

"Monty," Jasper replied with equal enthusiasm. He ran over to him.

"Release them," the president said.

"Open it," Jasper said. "Open it! I was so worried." The two embraced.

Harper was taken out next.

"The ground is our birthright," the doctor said as I was lead from the room. I could walk but it was difficult. "You can't keep us from that."

"Apparently he can," I said with a smirk, glancing at Harper. I swallowed and smiled. "I told you we'd get out."

She gave me a small smile.

Is this real?

We stopped off at another room to get dressed before we walked down the hallway. I'm guessing they didn't want us wandering the halls in the state we were in.

They gave us a choice of what to wear. I chose a dress. It was a loose dress that reached my knees with spaghetti straps. It would keep pressure off all of my healing wounds, especially those on my back. I think they did something wrong with those ones. I shoved my feet in a pair of sneakers.

I kept my hair down to try to cover some of my wounds. My scratches were still healing but those weren't the ones I cared about. The new ones were mostly around my right temple. I hit the ground or the cage or the chair one too many times. There were dark circles around my eyes but those couldn't be helped. Both my cheeks were bruised from behind slapped around and hitting my head. There was one long cut along my left cheek, right under my cut from before. At least I was able to get the blood from my face. I would have looked a lot worse otherwise.

I checked to make sure none of my wounds were bleeding. Some of my ribs were starting to bleed so I bandaged them to keep them from bleeding all over. The others would just have to be exposed.

I know walking into the room was not going to be fun. Everyone would stare. I would cover up but I tried to put on jeans and I just couldn't do it. They hurt too much. So everyone would stare. I didn't care anymore.

I grabbed a loose cardigan and put that on. There. I'm covered a little more at least. It didn't hurt too bad.

"You okay?" Jasper asked, looking at me when I exited the bathroom.

I took a breath and nodded slowly. "I will be," I said with a smile. I knew it wasn't my normal smile. It was very fake but I don't think Jasper noticed.

The four of us walked back to the dorms.

"Cory," Nate gasped when I limped in.

He wrapped his arms around me. It hurt but I leaned into him, crying into his chest.

"What the hell happened?" he asked.

I just kept crying.

"It's real," I whispered, praying it was. I was actually rescued this time.

When it was just Jasper, I figured maybe it was real. The only times I'd escaped in my mind, Jasper, Nate and Bellamy were all there. With just one, I thought it could be real. Two? Now I was getting worried.

"All right. Listen up," Jasper said. "There's gonna be questions, but there's no time. We're getting out of here. So pack your stuff."

"What are you talking about?"

"What, they're just letting us go?" Nate asked with a laugh.

"Yes, right now before they change their minds."

"But, Jasper, what the hell is going on?"

"They lied to us the whole time about everything," Monty snapped. "The Ark is on the ground, and we're not safe here. Do what he says. Now."

I heard people moving around.

I finally pulled back and limped to my bed. I sat down.

"Cory, what happened?" Nate asked, sitting next to me.

I swallowed. "It was Isaac," I breathed. "He stuffed me in a cage and then the doctor took my bone marrow. Five different times. They told me..." I paused and looked up at him. "The one today would have killed me."

"I'm sorry," he whispered, taking my hands. "I tried to find you."

"I know," I said with a little smile. "I knew you wouldn't give up on me."

I leaned into him a little.

"It's real, right?" I whispered.

"It's real," he replied, kissing my forehead.

I sat up straight again and tried not to wince.

"Pack," I said. "We're leaving…now."

He nodded, stood up and kissed my forehead again. We started packing.

I didn't have much to pack. I grabbed a few clothes and shoved them in my bag. I didn't have anything else.

Everyone stopped when the doors started to close.

"No," I whispered, tears falling from my eyes again. I fell to the ground. "No," I cried.


	55. Trapped

"Cory," Nate called, kneeling next to me. "Are you okay?"

"No," I breathed, lifting my head. I turned to look at him. "They're not letting us go. They're going to take more of us. People are going to die."

Tears fell from my eyes.

We were so close.

I stood quickly when Jasper walked over to us. I winced but focused on him. He had wide eyes and his mouth was open.

"Jasper," I breathed. I quickly wiped my eyes and focused on his pain rather than mine. "What's wrong?"

That was a stupid question. We are locked in the dorms. We were going to be harvested for bone marrow.

"Bellamy," he said simply.

"Bellamy?" I asked, confused.

"He was right outside," Jasper said.

"He's alive?" I breathed. "He's here?"

I turned and sat on my bed. I pulled my knees to my chest and wrapped my arms around them.

This was real. It was all real. I wasn't going to wake up in that cage ever again.

Tears fell from my eyes again.

Bellamy was the last piece of the puzzle. It was always Jasper, Nate and Bellamy saving the day.

But this was real.

They continued to talk for a few more minutes. I was only half listening in.

I found out that it was dinner time. People were annoyed that they couldn't eat. They were upset and scared to be locked up but not eating just made it a thousand times worse.

I don't even remember the last thing I ate. It was days ago, probably nearing a week now.

I don't know why they came for me so late today. I was used to them coming sometime in the morning but they came in the late afternoon. Had they been giving Harper another day?

"Cory?" Monty asked softly. He knelt next me maybe an hour after they locked us in here. He had a cup of water. He gave me a look.

I sighed and smiled a little. I took the water and took a sip.

"Thanks," I whispered.

"Are you okay?"

I looked at him and breathed, "No."

"I'm sorry," he said, looking down.

"What are you talking about?" I asked with a little laugh. I winced when laughing hurt my ribs.

"I should have known," he said.

"Monty, look at me."

He sighed and looked up at me.

"I knew something was wrong," I confessed. "The day of the radiation leak I knew for sure. I saw the cages. But even before then, I could feel it. So maybe you knowing would have helped. But me knowing didn't help anyone."

He nodded softly. He gave me a small smile and stood up.

I sipped water and stared at the wall. I wasn't even thinking. I was just staring.

They came three and a half hours later, an alarm sounded and the doors opened. There were at least ten guards dressed in full gear with guns or batons. The doctor was in the middle of the group.

"Get back," one of them yelled. "Back up."

My eyes widened and it got hard to breathe. I hugged my knees tighter. I focused on breathing in and breathing out. I couldn't think about anything else right now.

"That one," the doctor said pointing at a guy. I didn't know him but I'd seen him around a few times. He was good with a gun.

Two guards stepped forward and dragged the guy away.

People were yelling but nobody moved. They were all too scared.

I hugged my knees tighter.

Is it wrong to be happy it wasn't me? Is it wrong that I'm happy someone is going to be tortured?

They left quickly. The doors shut and no one said a word for a few minutes.

People slowly began moving around. They slowly started talking.

I didn't move.

For another hour and a half, I didn't move.

This time, I just thought. I thought about what was going on. I thought about what we could be doing. I thought about if anyone was out there. I thought about if I was going to get out of this alive.

I finally stood up and slowly walked to the door. I went up on my tiptoes and peeked through the window. There were three guards out there.

They looked calm. They almost looked lazy as they leaned against the walls rather than standing at attention. They knew the doors would hold us in. And they knew no one was coming back for a while still.

How long did we have to figure out a plan?

If they were just taking from the hips, it would take two hours. They couldn't be taking them at the same time because they would already be back and these guards were not ready for that.

But there was another option.

They could be harvesting them completely. I don't know how long that would take. It would depend on how fast they can do it, how many people are working on them, and how quickly the person dies. It could take half a day but I doubt they'd let it go that long. They've probably thought of a plan to make it much faster than that. They'd kept us in here for over three hours before taking someone. They probably had everything set up and a system ready.

I still prayed it wasn't the last option.

I ran my hands through my hair and took a deep breath. I then slammed my hands against the door.

All noise stopped.

I slowly turned and saw that everyone was looking at me. Some looked scared but most just looked worried.

"Sorry," I breathed with a little smile.

I paced for a while. I walked from the doors to nearing the back of the room and then walked back again. I repeated this for at least another hour and a half.

People were watching but no one spoke. For close to two hours, no one really spoke.

I winced when pain shot through my hips. I had to stop suddenly and just breathe. I leaned against the bunk next to me, which happened to be my own, and put a hand on my back.

They were starting to hurt again. The ones on my ribs hurt a lot too.

All the walking was not good for them but if I stopped, I'd start thinking too much. Thinking wasn't helping anymore.

"You okay?" Nate asked. He was leaning next to me.

Jasper, Monty and Harper gathered around as well.

"It's been over four hours," I sighed. "They're killing him."

"No," Harper breathed. "Someone will come."

"Bellamy," Jasper said.

"If it was Bellamy-"

Jasper cut Nate off with a look, saying, "It was Bellamy. I'm telling you. He's here."

"It doesn't make any sense," Monty said, stepping forward.

"I know what I saw," Jasper said with a nod.

I licked my lips. I wanted Jasper to be right. I wanted Bellamy to be out there somewhere. But I don't know if I can believe that. He would have come for us by now. Right? He would have had a plan and we'd already be saved. But we're not safe yet. Maybe something went wrong.

Suddenly the alarm sounded. They were coming back in.

They were gone for around four hours, maybe a little longer.

We all hurried to back up as they came in.

They were quick to grab another guy. I'd seen him a couple times around camp but had never spoken to him.

I realized I'd never spoken to a lot of people at camp. I didn't know most of them. But after this, I would. I would make it my mission, if we escape, to learn everyone's names.

We didn't talk again for a while.

I paced again. I took slow deep breaths as I paced.

"You think Jace is out there?" Harper asked suddenly.

I paused and looked at her. I slowly walked over and leaned against the bed she was in.

"Harper," I sighed. "I don't even know if he's alive."

"If he is."

"Then yeah." I nodded. "The second time he saved me, he came out of nowhere. I thought I was dead…and then there he was. If he's out there, he's looking for us."

"Us?" She was holding back a smile. I haven't seen her smile in a while.

I sighed and shook my head. I was trying to hide a smile. "Fine. He's looking for me. But you're gonna be right there with me when he finds me."

Her smile faded a little.

I sat next to her. I licked my lips and sighed.

"I believe Jasper when he says Bellamy is here," I said. "And you know he'll figure something out. He's got a whole team outside this mountain, like Clarke and Finn and Raven, and they are going to figure something out."

"Can we talk about something else?" she asked softly after a few minutes.

I nodded.

"How did you get so…badass?"

I couldn't help but laugh. I held my ribs when pain shot through them but I kept laughing.

"I promised myself that if I ever got out of that box, I'd do anything I wanted. I wouldn't care what people thought and I wouldn't let anyone stop me. In the box, my bed was supposed to be screwed to the ground. The screws were a little loose so I pulled them out and sharpened them. I threw them against my pillow until I could hit the same spot every time."

"Seriously?"

I nodded. "There wasn't much to do in solitary so…I figured why not learn something new. And I worked out like crazy since that's pretty much all I could do. And I dreamt. I would lay there for hours and dream about Earth."

"But…what about pain? There's no way to prepare for that."

"That is actually kind of funny. Apparently I should have died weeks ago. The only reason I'm still alive is adrenaline. But you know when you're on a mission, you can do a lot."

"A mission?" She winced a little when she laughed.

I nodded. "My goal from day one has been to save as many people as possible. I know saving everyone is impossible…but I'm going to save as many as possible."

For over three hours, Harper and I switched off between talking and lying in silence.

We talked about Peyton, my mom, Tabs, even Bryan, her parents, Jasper and Monty, Murphy, Bellamy, Jace. We talked about first crushes, first kisses, first dates, first times. I told her the truth about it all. We just talked and even when we were silent, it wasn't awkward.

I know Nate was nearby. Monty and Jasper were too. But they weren't really listening. They were internally freaking out.

The alarm rang for the third time. Harper and I jumped from the bed and backed up. We were still in the front of the group but we were all near the back of the room

They went for Harper.

"Harper," I gasped when they grabbed her. "No," I yelled.

Monty and Jasper both struggled against them a little bit too. I grabbed one's shoulder and was about to do something but I was stopped. Another one hit me in the stomach with the butt of his gun.

I collapsed, struggling to breathe.

I was hit right in the ribs. Usually that wouldn't be bad but I was already weak, especially near my ribs.

I fell between the beds. Nate was kneeling next to me in seconds.

"Cory," he practically yelled. He was looking down at me with concern but he didn't know what to do.

"I'm okay," I breathed. I was still panting.

I laid there, trying to catch my breath as they grabbed someone else. Harper "needed more time to rest" but another guy was perfectly fine. They took him but Jasper stopped them.

"Stop!" he yelled. "You can't keep doing this to us. President Wallace said we could go."

"That President Wallace is no longer in command," the doctor said. "He had to step down for health reasons." She paused. "I'm sorry it has to be like this. I hope you know you're all incredibly special to us."

They left quickly after that.

I slowly sat up and Nate helped me stand.

"Are you okay?" he asked.

"No," I said, shaking my head. "And I won't be…maybe ever. I won't be okay until we get out of here, until we are all safe. I don't know if that will ever happen."

He didn't say anything. No one said anything.

I laid on my bed and pulled the covers over me. I didn't want to fall asleep but I did.


	56. Dreaming Of A Better Life

When I opened my eyes, I was back in paradise. I was sitting on the rocks with my feet in the water.

I looked around me. The girls were on the rocks next to me. The guys were playing football in the water.

I realized that everyone was laughing and having a good time. This is what Earth is supposed to be like.

"Mama," Peyton practically yelled.

She had built a sandcastle on one of the rocks.

The girls around me were all cooing and smiling.

"So how's Murphy?" Tabs asked, nudging me with her shoulder.

"He's very good," I said with a smirk. "How about Jasper?"

"Amazing," she said with a look.

We both laughed.

"Monty's made more moonshine," Harper said, leaning around Tabs with a smile.

"So we'll have a lot of fun tonight," Raven said with a smirk.

We all laughed.

The game must have finished because all of the guys were walking over to us.

"Come on," Murphy said, grabbing my hand. He pulled me up and gave me a kiss.

I was pulled farther into the water until I could barely touch. I wrapped my legs around his waist. He could still touch but I could only just keep my head above the water. I leaned up and kissed him again.

Life couldn't get any better.

All of my friends were here. Peyton was okay. Mom was off somewhere but perfectly fine wherever she was. Everyone was smiling and laughing. No one was trying to kill us. We were war-free.

"I love you," I whispered, looking into Murphy's blue eyes.

"I love you too," he said with a smile.

I leaned forward and rested my head on his shoulder.

Jasper and Tabs were laughing and splashing each other. Monty and Harper were lying on the rocks. Peyton was squealing as Nate and Bryan tossed her in the air. Finn and Clarke were floating near the rocks. Raven and Bellamy were watching everyone from those rocks.

Everything was perfect.

We stayed there for another fifteen, maybe twenty minutes, before we packed up. We walked back to camp.

It wasn't a silent trip like I was used to. Everyone was talking and laughing with everyone. Peyton was running from person to person, getting piggy back rides or being thrown over someone's shoulders.

"You up for hunting tomorrow?" Bellamy asked.

"Do you really need to ask?" I asked with a laugh.

He smiled and shook his head. "It's gonna be early."

"I'll be fine," I said with a look.

"Mommy," Peyton squealed.

I turned and saw Murphy had thrown her over his shoulder. He was laughing as she was squealing. He then pulled her up and carried her in his arms. They were talking about something, laughing.

Everyone loved Peyton. And she loved them all right back.

It only took about an hour to walk back to camp. It was just before Peyton's bedtime when we got back to camp. I got her dressed and laid her down after she said goodbye to everyone.

"I'll be back tomorrow morning," I said with a smile. I helped her climb into bed and pulled the covers up to her chin. I leaned down to kiss her forehead. "I love you, baby."

"I love you, Mommy."

I turned and started walking to the door. I glanced back at her. She had her eyes closed, the covers up just past her chin. That's the only way she'd sleep. I turned off the light.

"Mommy," she whispered. "Come back to me."

I turned back on the light and looked back at her. But her eyes were closed and she looked to be asleep already.

I shook my head, turned off the light and shut the door.

I walked back to the group.

My mom stopped me before I could get there.

"Be safe," she said. "Please don't drink too much."

"Mom, I'll be fine," I said with a smile. "And I'll be back tomorrow morning."

"Okay," she sighed with a smile. She hugged me and kissed my forehead. "I love you."

"Love you too, Mom," I said with another smile.

"Baby, come back to me," she said softly.

"What?" I asked, furrowing my eyebrows.

"Have fun," she said. She turned and walked away.

I shook my head and headed over to the group. We were taking six horses to the dropship so that it would only take two hours rather than eight hours. It would be dark but we had large flashlights so we'd be able to see enough to trot.

I climbed on the horse Murphy was holding and he climbed on after me. We took off. I was leading but the others weren't far behind and we all knew the way.

Harper and Monty were struggling just a bit since Harper had to hold the jug while Monty steered and held onto her. Tabs and Jasper were laughing like crazy as she was steering for the first time and struggling a little.

We made it there and tied up the horses. We built a fire and poured the drinks.

We started by just relaxing. We were all sitting on logs or on the ground. I was in between Murphy's legs while his back was against a log. We slowly sipped while reminiscing about life before the Ark came down. Tabs and Bryan contributed with what life was like after we left.

"Can you believe it's been a year?" I sighed. "We've been on Earth for a year."

"And what a crazy year it's been," Murphy added.

He glanced over at Bellamy. The two were okay now, just like Bellamy and Lincoln were okay and Raven and Murphy. We were all friends now.

"Well it's time to celebrate," Harper said, jumping up. She pulled Monty up as well, even though he looked slightly embarrassed.

She turned on the music and blasted it.

Soon we were all dancing and drinking. No one cared what they looked like. We all just had fun.

Murphy was spinning me around and pulling me close as we danced. I was laughing loudly since he could not dance, but he still tried.

Clarke was the one who set up a game. It was like quarters but with a piece of metal instead of a quarter. Finn grabbed a table for us to play on and we all gathered around.

We were laughing as we each tried. Most of us were already fairly drunk so this game did not work out well.

I was actually fairly good at it. I got it every single round, four times in all. I chose Murphy, Tabs, Murphy again, and Nate to drink.

Tabs finally got one and literally jumped up and down. She kissed Jasper, pulled away to tell me to drink, and then kissed Jasper again.

We stopped the game after that since they wouldn't stop kissing. And that set off Harper and Monty and Clarke and Finn.

The rest of us danced a little longer before Clarke was the first to go inside.

We had brought a few tents with us, no one really wanting to room with another couple. We had made sure to set them up earlier because no one was going to set up a tent while drunk.

Everyone slowly left until it was just Bellamy, Murphy, Tabs, Jasper and I. Tabs and Jasper were next to leave but that was mostly because I made them.

"Tabs," I snapped after I heard her moan again.

She looked up at me with wide eyes. Her hair was a mess and her cheeks were bright red.

"Tent."

She nodded with a smile and pulled Jasper away. He had a loopy smile that I couldn't help but laugh at.

"Do you want to head in?" Murphy asked, looking down at me. He pulled me just a little closer.

I smiled and nodded. "I'll be in in a second."

He headed to the tent, winking at me before ducking inside.

I turned to Bellamy.

"You heading in?" I asked. I stacked the cups on the table next to the jug.

"Yeah," he sighed, standing up. He drained his cup and tossed it to me. I put that with the others while he put out the fire.

"I'm glad you stowed away," I said with a smile when it was out.

He looked at me with a smile. "Me too." He stepped closer to me and wrapped his arms around me. "Please," he whispered in my ear. "Come back to me."

I pulled away but he just walked away. I furrowed my eyebrows and watched him until he disappeared into the dropship.

I then ducked into my own tent. Murphy was already under the covers and passed out. I pulled off my shoes and my jacket before climbing in next to him.

"Come back to me," he whispered as he wrapped an arm around me.

Peyton, Mom, Bellamy and now Murphy all said the same thing. Weird.

But I fell asleep anyway.

I blinked my eyes open and groaned.

I was back in the dorms. We were still locked in there. And they were coming back.

The alarm was ringing and the doors were opening.

"Like we talked about," Jasper said.

I watched as they linked up. I pushed myself back into the bed as far as I could so that they hopefully wouldn't notice me.

Dr. Tsing picked Jessica. She was a blonde girl I'd seen a few times in Mount Weather but hadn't really seen before.

The others tried to stay linked up but they were punched and pushed and it didn't work. Jasper was pushed against a wall but there was a bed between us so there wasn't much I could do.

It happened fairly quickly.

The guards knocked down the people in their way and grabbed Jessica. They left and the rest of us tried to recover.

I looked down at Jasper. He was still on the ground.

I climbed off the bed, stumbling a little, and half ran over to him. I knelt next to him and put my hand on his shoulder.

"You okay?"

He lifted his head and he had this look. He was almost smiling.

My eyes widened when I saw the gun in his hands.

"Bellamy?" I asked, softly.

He nodded.


	57. Taking The Level

"How long were they gone this time?"

I had been asleep so I didn't know exactly how long had passed.

"A little over four hours," Jasper responded. He looked confused.

"I've got an idea," I said with a smile.

I proceeded to tell everyone. We had most people sit on beds or stand by them, like before. In case they were watching, we wanted it to look like we were just waiting for them to come in again.

But a couple of us worked on getting weapons.

The bunk beds were a viable option. It would take some time but we could get weapons before they come back.

Someone had some coins, just collectibles in Mount Weather. We used those to get some of the bed slats, the poles that support the bed underneath, off the bed.

"How many we got?" Nate asked, glancing over at the growing pile.

"Seven," I sighed. "It's a lot harder than it looks."

He sighed. "We've got a little over two hours."

"We'll figure it out," I said with a small smile. "We've getting out of here."

It took time but we got enough for almost every person to have one. It was easier once we figured out a method. We stopped a few minutes before we thought they'd come in. It wouldn't work well if they knew we had the weapons.

"What's taking Bellamy so long?" Monty asked as we waited.

I didn't want to admit I was thinking the same thing. Where was he? If he was really here, he'd help us, right? Did he know they were killing us?

"I don't know," Jasper sighed. He was getting annoyed with us not believing him.

The only reason I don't believe him is that I didn't want to. I didn't want all of this to be a dream. It would break me.

"Maybe they caught him," Nate suggested.

"No," Jasper snapped. "Bellamy will figure a way out. I know he will."

"Jasper, it's already been 4 hours," Monty said. "The guards will be back any second."

"They're gonna take someone else," Harper said softly.

I glanced down the row at her. I was standing on the other side of Nate, towards the end of the first row.

"No," Jasper snapped again. "Listen to me." Now he was addressing everyone. "Everyone, we stick to the plan. They're not taking anyone else out of this room without a fight!"

We linked up when we heard the buzzer. The door opened.

"Get back," the guard yelled. "Get back."

We all stayed linked together.

I glared at the doctor as she walked forward. She looked around at everyone. For a second, I thought she was gonna pick me but then she picked Monty instead.

Not Monty. He's already been through it. He escaped it. Do not send him back there.

The guards surged forward and hit Monty, and anyone who tried to stop them, a few times. Then they pulled Monty away.

"Hey," Jasper yelled.

Everyone turned to look at him. He'd taken out the gun.

"Get your hands off him!"

A guard moved to get the gun and Jasper shot him…in the vest. The guard paused for a few seconds before someone else hit the gun out of Jasper's hand.

That's when I attacked. I hit a guard over the head with the pipe. The helmet he wore protected him a little so he just stumbled back a little. That could also be due to the fact that I'm still pretty weak.

Nevertheless, I pulled back and hit him again.

The fight was over before it really began. People were on the ground within seconds. Weapons were taken away. Guards were threatening those still standing. We were defeated.

They were going to take another person.

I was on my back. The guard I'd been fighting hit me back against a bed, knocking the breath from me. What he didn't realize was that I wasn't going to stop fighting.

I just needed a little break while I tried to catch my breath.

"Take him instead," the doctor said a few seconds after the fighting stopped.

She was pointing at Jasper.

No. Not gonna happen.

They were not going to take anyone else. I wouldn't let it happen.

"Search the rest," she instructed. "Make sure there are no other weapons."

As soon as they left, I leapt into action. There were now only five guards. I could take five guards.

Four of them started searching while the fifth one held a gun, ready to shoot. But he wouldn't really shoot. It was just for show. They wanted us all alive.

So I tripped him. His finger hadn't even been on the trigger. There weren't even any stray bullets I had to worry about.

He landed on his back and I was quick to climb on top and punch him in the throat. He was stunned so I pulled the gun from his hand.

I had to take a deep breath to push away all the bad thoughts about me holding a gun. I then quickly turned, ready to kill the guards.

But I didn't have to. They were already falling to the ground.

I saw the telltale signs of radiation.

Bellamy.

I smiled for a second before I jumped up. They were already dying so it didn't matter if I was here to kill them. I dropped the gun, out of reach of any of the guards of course, and took off at a run. I found Jasper by the elevator.

Harper, Monty, Nate and I joined him as we watched the elevator door close. Jasper put a pole which Monty had brought for him in between the doors.

"No," she cried. "You can't."

"I hope you know that you're incredibly special to us," Jasper said, using her own words against her.

She died screaming.

One down, three to go. The doctor's dead. Now Isaac, the guard and Cage needed to die.

I smiled a little when she was finally dead. I then stepped back.

We needed a plan and fast.

"What do we do now?" Nate asked, looking between Jasper, Monty and I.

Jasper was sort of our leader in here. Monty was the genius. I was the one always coming up with weird yet useful plans.

"The mess hall," I said. "We barricade ourselves in and get ready for when they come in."

"Ready? How?" Harper asked. She looked worried.

I put my hand on her arm. I gave her a small smile as I said, "I'll figure something out. I promise."

I looked up and saw that pretty much everyone was in the hallway now. I glanced at Jasper who was already looking at me, waiting for me to say more, before I addressed everyone.

"Listen up," I said loudly. "We need to barricade ourselves in the mess hall. We need to get some of the beds from the dorms, use some of the chairs and tables in there already. We need to block all the doors with everything we've got. We also need weapons, anything we can find. And then we need to get ready to fight."

We were all silent for a minute.

"Let's go," Jasper yelled.

That got everyone moving.

I turned towards Monty. "Can you disable the doors?"

He nodded and got to work on that.

"They're not gonna come in with guns," I said, looking between Jasper and Nate. "They can't kill us."

"So what will they do?" Jasper asked.

"Smoke grenades," I said. "Like when they first took us."

"Well how do we fight those?" Jasper asked.

We were all silent for a few minutes.

"Buckets of water," I said. "We need at least three or four but they'll probably only throw one or two. We all need to be ready to just grab them and throw them in the bucket."

"And then we can lay on the floor and act unconscious," Nate finished.

"And then we attack," I said with a smile.

Nate hurried off to the dorms to help with the bunks. Jasper found an ax in the hallway. I hurried to the mess hall to help in any way I could.

People went back to the dorms or to the mess hall. We were quick to get the barricade up. Knives were found and used for weapons, along with pipes and the four guns the guards had.

"We took the level," Jasper said after a few minutes. He shut the doors to the mess hall.

We were now trapped inside, not usually something I would rejoice. But at least we were away from them. If we could stay in here, we could stay alive.

"But now we have to hold it. They will be coming, and we need to be ready."

I followed him as we walked past Harper.

"Harper," Jasper said, "get some pots from the kitchen, fill them with water, as big as you can find. Okay?"

She was confused but I gave her a look and she sighed. She walked off to go find some pots.

"Watch out," someone said.

I turned to see Fox had knocked out the camera. That was a good idea.

"Good, Fox," Jasper said with a smile. "Let's go get those hallway cameras, all right?"

"Nope," Monty said, walking past us. "Leave the hallway cameras. We'll need eyes out there."

Jasper and I followed him. I was somewhat surprised but at the same time it didn't surprise me at all. Of course Monty could do it.

"You can do that?" Jasper asked, surprised. He should probably already know this. This is his best friend we're talking about.

"Have you met me?" he asked with a smile. I couldn't help but smile.

"Where are we on the doors?" I asked.

"Elevators are all disabled. I shorted the other stairwell locks." He leaned over and fiddled with the lock. "This one is tricky, though." He pulled back. "I can't seem to..."

He was cut off when Jasper hit the lock, breaking it off.

"That works, too."

They both high-fived themselves. I tried hard not to laugh but the smile stayed on my face.

"How long you think we can hold them off?" Jasper asked.

"As long as we have to," Monty replied.

The smile fell from my face and I looked at them.

"We're strong," I said. "We can all fight one way or another. If we stick to the plan, we can do it."

They both nodded a little.

We finished getting the room ready. The door was completely sealed off. Other doors were not only shorted but also blocked. The buckets were ready. Everyone had some type of weapon.

I twirled the knife as I waited.

We only had to wait about fifteen minutes after we were all set. We waited in a tense silence.

Everyone was preparing for the worst.

We were not going down without a fight. Even if they take another person now, we will continue to fight back.

We all jumped when there was a bang. I looked over Monty's shoulder at the screen.

"No guns," Monty said, glancing at me. "You were right."

"It's because they can't kill us, not like this, anyway," Jasper said.

I closed my eyes for a second and took a deep breath. We would survive.

"Wait a second," Monty said a few seconds later.

I saw it too. They weren't all wearing suits.

"Some of them aren't wearing Hazmat suits."

"What's it mean?" Nate asked.

"Means they're cured," I said bitterly. I hope they enjoy the few minutes they have of freedom. "Marrow treatments worked."

Our attention was turned toward the yelling outside.

"Get ready," Jasper said.

I clutched the knife and looked at the doors.

The doors were opened thirty seconds later. And just like I said, the smoke bombs came over.

I grabbed one and threw it in the bucked quickly. There were three altogether and they all ended up in buckets.

People still ran around. That would make the guards think we were unprepared.

We then all dropped to the ground. I made sure to not look too comfortable. They needed to think we were unconscious.

I heard the chairs falling.

Jasper was up and yelling first.

I swept my legs behind a guy. He fell to the ground and I stabbed him in the chest. He was dead or dying as I stood up.

I looked around.

Somehow Nate was taking on three of them at once. I threw my knife at the one who'd gotten too close to him.

I turned and saw two guards dragging Fox out. I took a step forward but before I could yell to tell anyone else, I was struck from behind. I fell to my knees before I slumped onto the ground. My eyes slowly blinked closed.

Great. I was going to be caged again. I was going to be tortured. I was going to at least almost die again. Just great.


	58. 20 Minutes

I was only out for five minutes at most. We were getting off the elevator when I woke.

I was thrown over someone's shoulder. No one else was around.

I quickly reached back and put one arm in front of his face. I pushed off his back and clasped my hands together. I pulled and twisted his head.

He was shocked and more or less let go of me. I hit the ground and he stumbled backwards. I surged forward and kneed him in the groin twice. He hit the ground on his stomach and I climbed onto his back. I grabbed his head and twisted. I heard a snap.

I nearly smiled at the dead body. It was the guard from the room. He was dead. He could never hurt me again.

But I stood up quickly since I also had to worry about Fox. I ran down the hall, remembering the path to the room. When I got there, only two dead guards remained.

"Fox," I breathed, looking around. "Where are you?"

Someone must have saved her. But who? Bellamy? Where would they go?

I jogged back over to the dead guard and pulled him into a storage room. I stripped him of his clothes and put them on. I was lucky the guy was pretty close to my size but the clothes were still too big. I rolled up the sleeves and the pants. I strapped on the vest. I twisted my hair up under the hat and pulled it low over my eyes. He didn't have a gun but he had a walkie-talkie so I grabbed that.

I looked back at the guard, Mungar. I left him name tag on the body with a small smile. That's what he gets for trying to kill me…more than once.

I slipped out of the room and went back to the lab. I grabbed two scalpels and shoved them in my pockets. When I left the room, I shut the door and looked back at the scanner.

I pulled out one of the scalpels and pried the scanner apart. I cut three random wires, hoping I wouldn't get hurt, and then pushed it back against the wall. It fit back together easily and it looked good as new. They wouldn't know until they tried to scan their card. It would at least slow them down a little bit.

I put the scalpel back in my pocket and found the stairs. From my time here, I found that not many people use the stairs. They are hidden in the back corner while the elevators are out in the open. Not many people need to switch levels much anyways.

I leaned against the wall and thought for a second. I was relatively safe in here. Not many people would come in and if they did, I'd just walk and keep my head down.

How could I get everyone out of the mountain? I didn't even know how to get them off the level.

I didn't even know how to get back on the level. Monty shorted out the elevator. The stairs were disabled. There was no way onto the level, except the way the guards came in. They'd probably be guarding that.

I could figure that out later. If need be, I could just find a gun and shoot my way in.

I needed a plan for after getting to them.

Enough guns and we could all get out of here. The only question is where would we go.

Clarke had tried to find exits. She only found the one, the one that I don't know about. It had something to do with medical.

Or the secret stairs on the seventh level. If we got down there, we could go through the door. If the Grounders could get in that way, we could get out.

Now the question is how do I get the guns?

I didn't actually know where the guns were. I'd guess that they were either near Dante's office or up on the first level since I'd never been there and it was mostly just warehouses.

I decided up was best since I was already closer to that. I quickly climbed to the first level and practically ran around looking for the guns. I didn't run into anyone which was good but that also means I was in the wrong place.

So I went down to the seventh level next.

"This is President Wallace talking to the people who just killed 10 of my men." I paused and pulled the radio from my belt. "I thought we'd try something a little different this time. There's only 20 minutes of oxygen in Maya's suit. I know she's a friend of yours. 20 minutes, your friend will either suffocate or burn. But you can save her. All you have to do is surrender."

Nothing can ever be easy.

I pocketed the radio and ran down to the seventh level. I needed these guns now.

I kept my head down and prayed as I walked past the first guard. He didn't even acknowledge me.

I almost smiled. I didn't though because I turned the corner and saw a whole group of guards.

Just my luck. They were standing right in front of an open room. The weapons room.

I quickly pulled back and leaned against the wall. Of course the moment I find the room, they are all there.

There was no way for me to get to the guns without going past all of them. They'd know I didn't belong. There was no way I could take on a dozen guard with just two scalpels. If they were two knives and they had swords with them, ones that I could steal, maybe, but that wasn't true.

I quickly walked back to the stairs.

Now what?

I could at least save Maya. I still needed to find a way on to the level but I knew where I could get more oxygen from. They have a supply on level 4.

So I ran there.

13 minutes left.

That level was fairly quiet. I snuck in easily and grabbed a tank. It was nearly full.

I headed to level 5.

I tried to open the door. I knew it wouldn't open. I had watched Monty disable it. I still tried and still failed to open it.

7 minutes left.

I gave up and went back to level 4. I walked to the next staircase and went to level 5.

I had to stop suddenly when I heard voices. I peeked over the railing and saw Emmerson. He had a watch in hand and was waiting with a few other guards.

"5 minutes," he said.

Maybe I could take them still. There were only four of them. It didn't look like they had guns.

But one against four? Usually, I'd still try. But I needed to get out of here alive. I needed to find a way to get everyone off this level.

I had an advantage being out here. There's got to be some way for me to use it.

Trying to fight the four of them wasn't really going to help anyone.

I almost gasped when the thought hit me.

I quickly turned and opened the door back to level 4.

Every level has to have one. I just had to find it.

And there it was.

The trash chute.

I remember the one in the mess hall. Monty had disabled it but if I could climb up it, I could push it open. We could get Maya out and everyone else too.

I quickly scanned the card and pulled the door open.

I prayed there wouldn't be much garbage down there as I held onto the edge and climbed in. I grabbed the door and pulled it closed as I slid down. It was dark and small but I could fit.

Luckily, I didn't land in any trash. Unluckily, I hit the ground and fell. My ankles didn't support me which wasn't great, but I didn't sprain or twist anything. I just hit my face on the ground. My cheek might bruise but no blood so I had to keep going quickly.

I stood up, with only a little struggle, and looked around. I needed to find the one to the mess hall. I had only taken a few steps when I heard voices.

"This way," one of them said.

Did that set off some alarms? It shouldn't have. They dump trash all the time. There shouldn't be any alarms attached to them.

I grabbed out my scalpel and continued on. They'd already ruined two of my plans. They aren't ruining this one. I'm getting my friends off the level.

I pushed my back against a wall and gripped the scalpel tight. My heart was pounding as I leaned around to look at who it was. I gasped and took off running.

"Bellamy," I breathed.

He heard me and turned just in time to catch me. I wrapped my arms around his neck and buried my face in his shoulder.

My hat fell from my head, my hair tumbling out. One of his hands came to the back of my head, tangling in my hair as he pulled me against him even tighter.

He was real. He was here. He didn't leave us. He came to save us.

"You're real?" I whispered.

For a second, neither of us said anything.

"I'm real," he finally whispered, moving his hand to my waist and wrapping his arms tighter around me.

For a second, I just breathed him in. He smelt like the Bellamy I know: blood, sweat and something so distinctly Bellamy. He was real. He was here with me.

I pulled back and moved my hands to cup his cheeks. I had tears in my eyes; I was so happy to see him. But I refused to cry right now.

We had to save Maya first.

I looked at the container next to us. It had 'Level 5 – Mess Hall' on the wall next to it. We were in the right place.

"Give me a boast?" I asked with a smile.

"Cory-"

"I'm smaller," I said simply. "And faster. So you want to help me or not?"

He sighed and climbed into the container. I climbed in after with a little bit of help from him. We pried open the chute and he gave me a boast. I climbed quickly. It wasn't too hard since they were fairly small. I didn't have to worry about not reaching the other side.

I gagged a couple times when my hand hit something squishy. But I kept going.

When I got to the top, I pushed a couple times on the door. I could hear voices but I ignored them.

Maya was out of time. I needed to get this open. Now.

I finally got it open and nearly fell out.

I looked up to see Jasper pointing a gun at me. Nate, Monty and Harper were just staring at me with dropped jaws. Maya wasn't far away, leaning against a wall. I got here just in time.

"Get her in," I said quickly, reaching for her.

That got everyone moving. They quickly helped her in and she slid past me. Jasper was right behind her. I held onto the side so that I could stay up while they slid down.

"Oh God, Cory," Harper sighed. I looked up to see she was smiling.

I smiled and let Nate pull me out. He wrapped his arms around me and kissed my forehead.

"I knew it," he said softly.

I just smiled. "Now let's get out of here. Come on guys, quickly."

One by one, they climbed into the trash chute. Nate and I stepped to the side so that others could go first.

"What happened?" he asked, not looking at me. He helped the next person through.

"Tried to take me again," I said simply. "Failed and died instead. Took his uniform. Heard Maya was in here. Tried to get some guns. They were there. Tried to get in from the stairs. They were there. Slid down a trash chute. Found Bellamy down there. Climbed up a trash chute. And here we are."

"Are you okay?"

"More or less," I said with a shrug.

He paused and gave me a look.

"I'm not hurt any more than I was before so…that's a plus."

He gave me another look but he dropped the subject.

It only took six minutes to get everyone through. We went fast since they were probably coming back soon.

Once everyone went through, I closed the chute and slid down. I landed on my feet and stumbled just a bit. The jolt sent pain to my hips. Bellamy was by my side in an instant, a hand on my back to steady me.

I closed my eyes and put one of my hands on the other side of my back. I stayed like that for a few seconds. It was the only thing I could do with the pain. Bellamy didn't move from my side. I could feel him watching me but I didn't care.

I finally let out a breath and opened my eyes. I took a step away from Bellamy and looked up at him.

"We've got to go," I said. "Fast. They'll be back in minutes."

"Level six," Bellamy said, after a few seconds. He handed me my hat. I smiled and put it on, not bothering with my hair since we were done if they saw all of us anyway.

I nodded and he was quick to start leading us away. I grabbed out my scalpels and followed right behind him.


	59. Hiding

"What happened to you?" he asked, glancing back at me.

I took a breath and gripped the scalpels a little tighter.

"Bone marrow extraction," I said simply.

He gave me a look but we made it to a staircase which was more ladder than staircase.

"What's the plan?" I asked.

"We're gonna hide you guys," he said.

"I meant after that," I sighed. "How are we getting out?"

"I have to turn off the acid fog," he said.

I nodded. We were at level 6. We waited while everyone climbed up before we could move.

"There's an army in here that we have to get ready."

"The Grounders," I said aloud.

He nodded.

"Please tell me there's an army out there too. They will kill the Grounders here."

He nodded again. "There's one waiting just outside the reach of the acid fog. They'll attack when it's down."

"As a distraction?" I asked, confused. There is practically no way for the army to get in here if Mount Weather doesn't want them in. They must be a distraction so that we can fight our way out.

"We fight our way out and escape through the Reaper tunnels."

That was the door I'd seen the Grounders coming in through. It led to tunnels that we could escape through. We'd definitely need guns then.

I sighed. "And until then? Where are gonna go?"

"Trust me," he said with a slight smirk. I smiled a little and nodded.

We walked down the hall once we were all up and paused before the turn.

Bellamy looked around the edge first, gun ready.

"All clear," he said.

We were all tense as we walked. I kept a tight grip on the scalpels while everyone else gripped whatever weapons they had. There were a few guns, a few pipes, a few knives. Everyone had something or followed closely to someone with something.

"Relax," Bellamy said, when a couple of us glanced up at the camera. "Maya took out the cameras."

"We're still sitting ducks in a group like this," Nate said. He's right. We'd be easily spotted.

"You're right," Bellamy said. "So we're gonna split up."

"No," Monty said sharply. "We do this together. We survive together."

I gave him a small smile. I would love nothing more than to never let any of them out of my sight. But that wouldn't work well.

"Bellamy's right," Jasper said.

"Well, they don't trust Maya anymore," Nate pointed out. I hadn't even thought about that. "Who the hell is gonna help us now?"

"They are," Bellamy said, nodding around the next corner.

Over a dozen people were standing there behind Maya.

"We're going to hide you," she said. "Not everyone here agrees with Cage, not by a long shot."

"Come with me," a man said. "We'll divide you along the way. Let's go."

"It'll be okay," Bellamy said with a nod.

"Let's go," the man said again.

I glanced around at the others. A lot of them were looking at me, like they were waiting for me to give them permission. I nodded with a smile and that got people moving.

"You're safe now," the man said. "Quick, quick."

There was a slight commotion as people paired up and found a place to stay.

"Go," Bellamy said, looking at those who stayed. It was just me, Jasper, Monty and Bellamy left now.

"Hey, we're coming with you," Jasper said.

"No, you're not," Bellamy said, shaking his head. "They still don't know I'm here, and I need to keep it that way."

"So what do we do?" Monty asked, sounding defeated.

"Stay alive," he said with a small smile. He was serious again within seconds. "Be ready to fight. War is coming," Bellamy said. He turned to go but I stopped him.

I grabbed his wrist and pulled him back. He turned around, ready to say something. I went up on my toes and wrapped my arm around his neck, pulling him close. I buried my face in his shoulder and just held him for a few seconds. He wrapped his arms around me after a few seconds.

I could never get tired of Bellamy hugs. He hugs you like it's the last time. I mean, it is possible but I wasn't going to think about that too much.

I finally pulled back. I looked up at him and narrowed my eyes.

"You come back in one piece, got it?"

He smirked before turning and jogging away.

I turned back to the other two. They were both giving me goofy smiles.

"Not a word," I said as I grabbed their arms. We hurried after the others.

The three of us were staying with Maya and her dad. We hurried to their rooms and closed the door.

"If anyone comes to the door," Vincent, her dad, said, "you'll have to hide. We have a vent behind Maya's bed that should hide the three of you. They shouldn't come though so you'll be safe here."

"Thank you," I whispered.

He nodded. He walked off, probably getting something for us.

"Do you need clothes?" Maya asked, looking me over. I was still in the guard's uniform.

I shook my head. "I've got a dress underneath. But thanks."

She nodded.

"You can sleep in my bed tonight," she said, walking towards her room.

"No," I said, shaking my head. "It's your bed. I'll sleep on the ground."

"The couch is open," she offered. "You could sleep there. You'd just have to be ready to run in here."

I shook my head. "The guys can fight over it. I'm okay on the floor. I've slept in worse places." I let out a breathy laugh, thinking about the cage.

"Okay," she said with a nod. "There's a blanket there and you can grab a pillow." She paused. "Well…uh…let me know if you need anything."

She turned to leave but I stopped her.

"Maya?" I paused, unsure of what I really wanted to say. "I just want to…uh…thank you, for everything."

She nodded.

"And I'm sorry we dragged you into this," I sighed. "You don't deserve this."

"No one does," she said, shaking her head. "What they're doing is wrong. I can't just stand by and let it happen."

I smiled and nodded. She left.

I started pulling off the guard's uniform. My pants were around my ankles when Monty walked in.

"Oh," he gasped, backing up and covering his face. I slowly turned to look at him with a smirk. "Sorry."

"Chill," I said, still smirking. "I have a dress on."

He slowly lowered his hand, saw I was right, and put his hand down at his side.

"Jasper got the couch," he said. "Looks like you and I have the floor."

I smiled and finished folding the pants. I put it in the pile of the other clothes and grabbed the blanket. I grabbed a pillow and threw it at Monty.

He caught it with a smile and walked over.

We made camp on the far side of Maya's bed, away from the door. Her bed was fairly easy to move and the vent opened easily. We would be able to move pretty quickly. It would just be Jasper we'd have to worry about.

We laid down and pulled the blanket over us. If we didn't move much and stayed fairly close, we'd be fine.

Maya came in when we were laying down. She quickly changed in the bathroom and climbed into bed.

We were all out in minutes. We'd had a rough couple of days.

I don't remember dreaming. I remember feeling the need to scream and being woken by a hand covering my mouth.

My eyes shot open and I was about to hurt the person when I saw that it was Monty. He had wide yet sleepy eyes.

He slowly put a finger to his lips and took his hand off my mouth.

"You were crying," he whispered.

"Sorry," I replied with a small smile. I reached up and found tears were streaming down my face. I quickly wiped those away.

He gave me a sad look. "It's okay," he whispered. I slowly sat up, him not far behind me. "We're safe."

"I don't think we'll ever be safe again," I whispered, shaking my head. I pulled my knees to my chest and wince when pain shot through my ribs.

"Does it still hurt?" he asked.

I nodded. Another tear fell from my eyes. "My ribs and hips the most."

He sighed. "I'm sorry." He reached over and squeezed my hand.

I looked up at him. "The same thing happened to you," I pointed out.

"Nowhere near as bad," he confessed, looking down. "My hips and my legs. They got practically your whole body. Harper too. I can't complain."

"Yes you can," I practically snapped. "The three of us were tortured. You better be complaining."

He smiled a little.

"You need sleep," he said.

I slowly leaned over and rested my head on his shoulder. "I can't," I whispered. "I can't go back there again."

"Nightmares?"

"Or really really good dreams." I closed my eyes. "Where Peyton and my mom are still alive, where this all never happened, where we are all happy and safe. I can't go back there. Not again."

"Then we'll stay awake," he said. He propped his pillow up and leaned against the wall. He pulled me over to him and laid the blanket over our legs. I pulled my knees to my chest and leaned my head on his shoulder.

"You want to talk about your dreams?" he offered.

"Have you ever been to paradise?" I asked with a little smile.

"Paradise?"

I giggled. "It's this beautiful waterfall not far from camp. I found it with Murphy when we were hunting. In my dream, we were all there. You and Harper." I glanced up at him and he wasn't looking at me. He looked slightly embarrassed. "Me and Murphy. Peyton was there. Jasper and Tabs, Nate and Bryan, Finn and Clarke, Octavia and Lincoln, even Raven and Bellamy. We were having fun and then we walked back to camp and it was so perfect. And camp was so…safe. We'd been on Earth a year and were celebrating. It was just so perfect."

"I'd love to see it," Monty said after a minute.

"You're going to," I said with a nod. "We're gonna get out of here."

We were silent for a few minutes. I closed my eyes but didn't sleep, at least not yet.

"Thank you," I whispered. I didn't know if he'd fallen asleep.

"What for?"

"For…for listening, I guess. For being you."

We both fell asleep not long after. I didn't dream, or at least I don't remember dreaming.

I woke the next morning when Vincent got up. I could hear him moving around.

I slowly stood up, trying not to wake up Monty. I covered him back up and snuck out of the room.

"I'm heading to breakfast," Vincent said when he saw me.

Jasper was still asleep on the couch so we made sure to stay quiet.

"I'll try to bring back some food," he said. He gave me a look of pity.

It hit me that I couldn't actually remember when my last meal was. It had to have been breakfast the day I was taken. That had to be a week ago. I was given some nutrients during my stay in the cages but I hadn't consumed actual food in a week.

Right on que, my stomach growled loudly.

He looked at me, even more pity now. "I'll bring some food," he said with a nod. He slipped out and it was just the four of us now.

Maya was a prisoner, just like us now. All four of us were confined to the room.

"Hey," a voice said.

I turned around to see a sleepy Jasper just waking up. He slowly sat up and looked at me.

"How'd you sleep?" I asked, walking over. I sat by his feet.

He shrugged. "Best sleep I've gotten in days." I smiled a little at that. "You?"

I shrugged and looked away. "Fine."


End file.
